


Surprise!

by Nichole_Monroe



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: F/M, Female Evan "Buck" Buckley, Getting Together, Injury Recovery, No Lawsuit, Surprises, firefam - Freeform, post truck bombing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 18:28:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 32,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29211921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nichole_Monroe/pseuds/Nichole_Monroe
Summary: Following the truck bombing Buck is left to her own devices. Eddie shows up to keep her company. Sparks fly between them. Months later at the party following her completion of her recertification she learns something after she collapses at the party. Lawsuit doesn't happen and Buck does the light duty and turns down Mackey. Plus her and Eddie had kept their relationship a secret except for a few people.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz
Comments: 50
Kudos: 193





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Buck was at home moping on the couch. Her boyfriend, Al, had broke up with her after her recent injury. Being crushed by the ladder truck. Al realized that he couldn’t handle her being in danger and she refused to quit the job she loved with the people that she thought of as family as well. So here she was on the couch, her left leg casted up to her knee propped up on a pillow when the door opened.

  
“Knock, knock.” Eddie called as he entered her apartment carrying a couple of boxes of pizza and a case of soda.

  
“Hey, Eds, what are you doing here?” she asked as she attempted to stand up to greet her best friend/crush.

  
“Sit your ass back down, Buck.” Eddie said lightly glaring at the blond. He sat the boxes of pizza and the soda down on the coffee table. “Where’s Al at? Wasn’t he supposed to be helping you so you can heal?”

  
“He broke up with me. I guess he couldn’t handle my passion for the job.” Buck said with a scowl on her face.

  
“What an asshole! You deserve better. Why didn’t you say anything?” He asked as he handed her a plate with a couple of pizza slices and a bottle of soda. “Lean forward a bit.”  
Quirking an eyebrow, she leaned forward, and Eddie sat down behind her. She leaned back to where her head was against his shoulder and her legs stretched out comfortably. Eddie put a hand around her stomach, settling on her abdomen. Almost immediately she felt all warm and fuzzy at the feeling of being held so intimately by her best friend/crush.

  
“Eds, what are we doing?” Buck asked leaning her head on his shoulder as she picked up the remote to find a movie on Netflix.

  
“Cuddling, is that okay?”

  
“More than, it feels good.”

  
They sat in silence, watching a random movie, and eating pizza and drinking the soda. Normally they would be drinking beer, but Buck was on pain meds still from her surgery which pains her every now and then. Eddie’s hand somehow found its way under her shirt. Her breath hitched and she leaned further back so she could see his face. Eddie’s eyes were filled with something that Buck hadn’t seen before and couldn’t quite place the emotion she saw in those beautiful brown eyes.

  
“Eds?” she asked quietly.

  
“Do you want this?” he asked, his hand drifting below the waistline of her shorts.

  
“Yes,” she breathed, and they closed the gap between them with a hungry, passionate kiss.

  
Tongues collided together and Eddie’s hand found her clitoris. All she could taste was the pizza they ate and the soda they drank but she wanted more. She groaned into Eddies mouth and he chuckled into hers. She had wanted this for so long, since she met him, but she didn’t think she could with Shannon and everything. And by the way Eddie was responding, he wanted this too.

  
“If this is going to go further, we’ll need to move upstairs.” Eddie said with a groan. Buck could feel the growing erection beneath her.

  
“How? I can’t exactly climb the stairs right now?” Buck said glaring down at her casted leg.

  
Before she had time to register Eddie had gotten up and picked her up effortlessly. All the training they had as firefighters making it easy for him to lift her. Buck let out a short squeak as she settled in his arms and he carried her up the stairs.

  
“A girl could get used to this.” Buck said happily.

  
“You’ve been stuck downstairs, huh?”

  
“What do you think? Al couldn’t pick me up. I don’t know what I saw in him.”

  
“Me neither, you deserve to be swept off your feet, Ev. You are the one I wanted; I want. Since I met you, mi amor.” Eddie whispered as he sat her down on the bed.  
“I like that.” Buck said with a grin as she took her shirt off, she wasn’t wearing a bra and Eddie got a hungry look on his face.

  
“You have been teasing me all evening, I knew you weren’t wearing a bra.” He practically growled.

  
“No underwear either, Eds.”

  
Eddie growled possessively and pulled her pants down careful of her cast. Buck was completely naked, minus a belly button ring that glinted in the light, grinning up at Eddie. He quickly shed himself of his clothes. He slowly crawled up the bed and spread her legs and attached his mouth to her center.

  
“Oh god! Eddie!” Buck cried lifting her hips as she felt his tongue playing with her sensitive clitoris.

  
“You sound just like I’ve imagined, Ev.” Eddie murmured as he kissed his way up playing with the belly button ring, which caused her to groan again, he moved again and attached his mouth to her nipple and was playing with the other one.

  
“You’ve thought about me?” Buck groaned; this was better than she could ever imagine.

  
“Oh yeah. You’re so wet.” He said roughly fingering her opening again as he attached his mouth to the side of her neck.

  
“Eds, take me already.” She moaned.

  
“I don’t want to hurt you.” He whispered as he looked into her blue eyes, her pupils blown wide with pleasure.

  
“You won’t, I trust you. You have my back, remember.”

  
“I remember. If you’re sure.”

  
“We’ve come this far already.” Buck said with a grin as she wrapped her good leg around his waist.

  
“Hang on, novia, do you have any condoms?”

  
“Top drawer, it’s unopened but I’m always prepared.”

  
Eddie laughed as he pulled away and opened the top drawer. He opened the box and grabbed a condom. He opened the packet and rolled the condom on. He was back over Buck and positioned himself and entered her slowly. Groaning at the tightness that wrapped around him, Buck was groaning too, and she then rolled her hips slightly from her position.

  
“Just wait until the cast comes off, I’ll show you a real good time, Eds.” Buck moaned out as Eddie started pumping his hips going slow at first.

  
“I’ll hold you to it, mi amor.” Eddie whispered into her mouth as a moan escaped her as he started pumping his hips faster so you could hear skin slapping on skin.

  
Buck’s nails dug into his back as she almost screamed. Sure, she used to sleep around when she first started at the 118 but there were no emotions involved before, but the love she felt for Eddie, it made sex so much better than she could explain. Eddie was better then her previous lovers, who only focused on their needs. Eddie was hitting the right spot over and over again, and he had moved a hand down and was playing with her clitoris again. Before they knew it they were both cuming, screaming each other’s names.

  
“Oh Eddie, I think you broke me.” She murmured as Eddie laid down next to her and she moved her head to his chest.

  
“Then we’ll have to keep practicing.” She laughed quietly; he eyes drooping a bit.

  
“This isn’t a one-time thing, right?” she asked looking up into his eyes.

  
“No, Evan, I’ve been in love with you since we met, but you were getting over your ex, then Shannon came back. I really didn’t want her back but Christopher wanted his mother back, then she died, then the ladder truck happened…..”

  
“I love you too, Eddie. I’m not entirely sure when it happened but I do.”

  
“Good, now come on, sleep.” He said with a yawn. Buck was out before she could respond.

  
The next morning found her all warm and toasty next to Eddie. She sighed happily, never knowing that something like this could happen. Also, she was well rested. She hadn’t slept so good in two weeks since the accident.

  
“Hmmm, good morning, Ev.” Eddie murmured waking up slowly.

  
“It is indeed. Do you think it’s too soon to ask you to help me to the bathroom?”

  
“Absolutely not. I’m at your beck and call. Do you need help showering?”

  
“Please, and then I can make us some breakfast.” Eddie arched an eyebrow at that.

  
“Are you sure you can do that?”

  
“Well, I think so, but you’re here, you can help keep me balanced. Plus, Maddie said something about stopping by.”

  
“Do you want me to go before she gets here?”

  
“No, I trust her, I’ve never kept anything from her. I can always ask her not to say anything to Chim.”

  
“Ok, I don’t mind her knowing, but I kinda want to keep it from the firehouse for now.”

  
“For now,” Buck agreed before sitting up and tapping Eddie on his chest. “Come on, help me shower. I really need it.”

  
“I need to, too. Do you have a bag for your leg?”

  
“Yeah, I left it in the bathroom. There’s also a shower chair for now. Now, help me shower, babe.”

  
“Babe?” Eddie asked with a chuckle as he carried her into the bathroom and sat her down on the toilet.

  
“Well, if you can call me ‘my love’ I can call you babe.” Buck said with a grin.

  
“Well, okay then.” Eddie laughed as he started the shower.

  
They climbed into the shower, Buck’s leg wrapped in a bag and sitting on the chair. Eddie stood in front of her, the water cascading down from above them. Buck had a glint in her eyes. Eddie’s dick was right at her mouth level. Grinning, she wrapped a hand around his semi-erect dick. Eddie smirked down at her as he worked the shampoo into his scalp.

  
“Just can’t help yourself, huh, mi amor?” he asked.

  
“Nope, you look just so yummy.” She said as she took him into her mouth.

  
Eddie groaned at the feeling. Shannon never gave him a blow job and the last time he did have one was in high school. Buck’s eyes were bright, her shoulder length blond hair soaking wet. He grinned and started shampooing her hair as she blew him moving a bit closer so she could take more of him into her mouth. She kept up the suction and taking him deeper until he was touching the back of her throat. He heard her choke a bit and he stopped.

  
“Shit are you okay, Buck?” he asked his voice full of concern. Buck released him and looked up at him sweetly.

  
“Of course, just haven’t done this in a while.” She said. She took him back in and before he knew it, he was cumming down her throat. “We should finish cleaning up.”

  
“Right, we can’t stay in here forever. And I gotta pick up Christopher later.” Eddie said as he finished washing her hair.

  
“Yeah, this has been nice.”

  
“Come home with me. My place is more crutches friendly and better company too.”

  
Buck beamed up at him. Almost disbelieving that he would offer a place to stay while she healed. Tears threatened to fall but she held them back as she looked into his brown eyes that were filled with love and adoration for Buck.

  
“Evan! I’m here! Where are you?” Maddie’s voice called out breaking the moment between the two.

  
“I’m in the shower!” Buck called back horrified wide eyes staying at Eddie’s equally terrified eyes.

  
“How did you get in there?” Chim’s voice called as footsteps we heard climbing the stairs.

  
“Don’t worry Buck, Chim and I can help you back downstairs.” Maddie said as they reached the loft.

  
“No!” Buck and Eddie shouted at once.

  
“Oh my god! Are you and Eddie in the shower together?!” Maddie asked through the door.

  
“When did this happen?” Chim asked. They could almost hear the grin on his face. Eddie rubbed his face and looked down at Buck.

  
“Can you guys just go back downstairs, maybe get some breakfast going, please?” Eddie asked.

  
“Yeah, sure. But we will talk when you guys get down here.” Maddie said sternly.

  
“Ok, just don’t peak. I don’t want the knowledge that Chim has seen me naked.” Buck said with a grimace.

  
“Yeah, not an imagine I want, you or Eddie.” Chim replied. They both went back downstairs, and Buck turned to Eddie with a look of absolute horror.

  
“So, not how I imagined my sister finding out about us. Chim as well.” Buck said. Eddie chuckled and gave her a kiss.

  
“Well, Maddie was going to find out, but I really wasn’t expecting Chim to show up too.”

  
“Though, I should have realized, where one goes the other is not far behind.” Buck sighed.

  
“Kind of like us then. Come on, mi amor, let’s get dressed and face the music.” Eddie said as Buck finished putting on lotion. She nodded and Eddie opened the door and turned and picked her up.

  
“Whatever you do, don’t look upstairs, unless you want to see us naked.” Buck called down.

  
“No problem.” Chim called back.

  
The two of them got dressed fairly quickly and Buck started brushing her hair. Eddie carried her back down the stairs. Maddie and Chim set the table and had coffee ready. Maddie had a chair ready for Buck to sit in, Eddie sat her down on it and he sat next to her.

  
“So, when did this happen?” Maddie asked, glaring at the two of them.

  
“Officially, last night. But it’s been working to this for a while now.” Buck said with a smile to Eddie.

  
“What about Al? We figured you and he were still together.” Chim asked. Eddie scowled at the name but didn’t say anything.

  
“He broke up with me the day I got home from the hospital. He wanted me to quit my job, I said no.”

  
“What an asshole! Why didn’t you tell me? You’ve been alone here for two weeks?” Maddie asked with tears in her eyes.

  
“I managed.” Buck said softly as she drank her coffee.

  
“God, Buckaroo. You are so stubborn.”

  
“Well, she is a Buckley. It’s a common trait.” Maddie said as Buck gave an indignant sound. “Now Eddie, do I really need to give you the talk.”

  
“No, Maddie.” Eddie said with an easy smile. “I’ve been in love with her for a while. Just decided to take the leap last night.”

  
“Chim, you can’t say anything.” Buck said to her sister’s boyfriend. “To anyone at the station. Especially not Hen or Bobby.”

  
“What? I can’t do that!” Chim exclaimed looking panicked.

  
“Just for a little while, can you do that Chim. We just want to make sure this works, especially with Buck still healing.” Eddie said as he took Buck’s hand.

  
“Just for a while?”

  
“Yes, we’ll let them know, when we’re ready.” Buck said with a soft smile.

  
“Plus, Buck is going to stay with me while she heals. I don’t have stairs and my place is already set up for crutches.” Eddie said.

  
“Yeah, out of everyone I think your place is the best.” Maddie said.

  
“Plus, Chris has been bugging to see his Buck.” Eddie said with a chuckle.

  
“How is he going to take it? The two of you being together?” Chim asked.

  
“Honestly, I don’t know. His mother just died but we had been separated for years. I wanted to work it out for Chris’ sake, but she asked for a divorce before she was killed in that accident.”

  
“Well, he loves me, it may just work out for the best.” Bucks said. They chuckle as they finished eating breakfast with Eddie and Chim cleaning the dishes. Maddie helped Buck over to the couch. Maddie sat next to Buck and they looked over at the two men cleaning up after breakfast.

  
“You guys are being safe, right? Cause right now you getting pregnant, with up coming surgeries and physical therapy in your immediate future isn’t a good idea.” Maddie asked quietly.

  
“Maddie!” Buck whispered quietly and blushing brightly as well. “You don’t have to worry. I have the Mirena and we used a condom.” She whispered, her face still bright red.

  
“The shower?”

  
“Do you really want to know about my sex life? I don’t ask about you and Chim.” She pointed out.

  
“I’m sorry, you’re my baby sister. I’m always gonna worry about you.” Maddie said seriously.

  
“We’re gonna be careful, Mads. It is so happens that I do, it would be a fucking miracle. So, chill out, let us discover what we have, ok?”

  
“Ok, I’m happy for you, I know you’ve liked him for a long time.”

  
“I have, which is why I agreed to stay with him. I like my place, but I miss sleeping in a bed. Last night was the first time since the accident that I slept good.”

  
“Good, you need me to help pack some clothes?”

  
“Well, I can’t go up the stairs, so please.” Maddie nodded and went upstairs.

  
“Where’s Maddie going?” Eddie asked as he and Chim came over to join Buck on the couch. Eddie handed her a bottle of water as he sat down.

  
“She’s starting to pack a bag for me. What time do you have to pick up Chris?” Buck asked accepting the water.

  
“At noon, so I think I’m going to go and help.” He said as he too went to help Maddie pack. Buck smiled as she looked back over at Chim.

  
“You know he was scared out of his mind when you were trapped under that ladder truck. He had just lost the mother of his child and now he was faced with the possibility of loosing you too.”

  
“I honestly don’t remember much, Chim.” Buck whispered as a hand traveled down to her casted leg.

  
“It’s probably a blessing in disguise. I don’t like bringing up past trauma. But he’s already lost a lot. So, when you come back to work, try not to be as reckless as before.” Chim said seriously.

  
“I promise Chim, I’ll be more cautious.”

  
“Good, now that’s out of the way. I’m happy for you, but I lost the bet.” The last bit slipped out; Buck could tell from the sheepish look on his face.

  
“There’s a bet going on about me and Eddie?” she asked.

  
“Uh, yeah, but honestly it started before Shannon came back. So, I’m not entirely sure if it’s still going.”

  
“Well, um, I’m not sure how to respond, Chim. Could you find out? Maybe we can make things interesting.”

  
“Hmm, I like where your mind if going. Then we can do a double date or something.”

  
“Deal.” Buck said with a grin that turned into a grimace.

  
“Hey, you ok, do you need your pain meds?” Chim asked his face full of concern.

  
“Yeah, but just one. It’s not too bad, just uncomfortable.” Chim nodded and grabbed the pill bottle and handed her one and the bottle of water that Eddie brought over.

  
“You’re not taking the full dose?”

  
“I don’t like how it makes me loopy and sleepy. I live along, LA isn’t exactly a safe place sometimes, ya know.”

  
“I hear ya. But if you’re in pain it helps, right?”

  
“Listen to you Chim, you’re like an anxious big brother. I usually ice it or use a heating pad. It helps."

  
“Well, as long as you aren’t always in pain.”

  
Eddie and Maddie came back down the stairs. Eddie had a duffle bag over his shoulder as he grabbed the pill bottle and added it to the bag.

  
“You ready to go?” he asked.

  
“Yeah, just need to grab my shoes.” Maddie immediately grabbed them and handed her the one shoe and handed the remaining shoe to Eddie. Chim and Maddie helped Buck up once she got the shoe on. They turned off the lights and locked up before heading out.

  
“Alright, you best be taking care of my sister, Eddie.” Maddie said.

“Don’t you worry, Mads. We got it from here.” Buck said before Eddie could respond.

  
“Maddie, don’t you worry. I love Evan. I won’t let her get into trouble.” Eddie said as he helped Buck into the truck. Buck was slightly taller, which meant he had to move the seat back a bit so Buck would have room with the cast.

  
“Comfy, mi amor?” he asked with a soft smile.

  
“Let’s go, I need some Chris cuddles.” Buck said with an easy smile. Eddie chuckled and gave her a quick kiss before closing the door.

  
“See you guys later.” Eddie said to Chim and Maddie as he climbed into the driver’s seat.

  
“I hope Chris takes this new development well.” Buck said softly. Eddie grabbed her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.

  
“I think he will be thrilled. But we’ll have to assure him that we’ll won’t forget Shannon.”

  
“I don’t think he’ll ever forget or you. I don’t want to replace her, just be the next phase, ya know. Shannon and I are completely different women.”

  
“Exactly, which will probably help. But I don’t think he’ll care, probably be ecstatic that you will be spending more time with us.”

  
“That and I’m a better cook.” Buck said with a cheeky smile. It made Eddie laugh though as they finally made it to his abuela’s house.

  
“Alright, I shouldn’t be long. You okay with waiting in the car for us. I’m sure Abuela will come and fuss as soon as I say something.”

  
“Yes, Eds, I’ll be fine.” Buck said with a laugh. “Go get Chris.” Eddie smiled and got out of the truck.

  
It didn’t take long for Eddie’s abuela came bounding out of the house to the truck. Buck had to laugh as she was hugged awkwardly from the side. She couldn’t really understand what she was saying as she was speaking Spanish very quickly. Though by the looks of it Eddie did by the smile on his face.

  
“Si, abuela. Buck is coming to stay with us. Her apartment isn’t really set up for crutches.” Eddie said with a smile.

  
“Have you been eating enough, Buck, you look too thin.” Abuela said as she turned and rushed back inside before Buck could answer.

  
“Um, she does know that I had surgery two weeks ago, right?” Buck asked quietly.

  
“Yes, but that’s just how she is.”

  
“Buck!” Chris cried from the front porch as he made his way to the truck.

  
“Hey superman!” Buck cried with a big smile. Chris made his way over to them and Eddie helped him up so Chris and Buck could hug properly.

  
“I’ve missed you. Dad wouldn’t let me visit you in the hospital.” Chris mumbled into her neck. Blue eyes met brown as she smiled gratefully at her partner.

  
“Oh buddy, I know you wanted to, but I was hurt pretty badly. I didn’t want you to see me like that. But I’m getting better and I’m going to be staying with you guys for a while.” Chris cheered loudly making Buck and Eddie smile at each other.

  
Abuela came out of the house again with a bag filled with tuber ware. She handed it to Eddie and gave Buck and Chris another hug and kiss.

  
“Now, this will last you a while. Don’t you overdue it. I’ll try to be by in a few days.”

  
“Gracias, abuela. I’ll call if we need anything. Come on, Chris, let’s get you buckled up and get you and Buck home.” Eddie said as he picked his son up and buckled him up in the backseat.

  
“I need a nap, the pill I took is definitely kicking in now.” Buck said with a wide yawn.

  
“Alright, well get going you three.” Abuela said. Eddie gave her a kiss and got into the truck, waving, and driving away.

  
“Can I sign you cast when we get home, Buck?” Chris asked.

  
“After my nap, okay bud?” Buck said with a tired smile.

  
“Okay,” Chris said sadly.

  
“Besides, mijo, I wanted to talk to you about something. Before Buck has a nap.” Eddie said.

  
“Is it bad?” Chris asked.

  
“Not at all, just something new.”

  
“Is it about you and Buck dating?” he asked innocently. Buck jerked her head and looked at Eddie in shock.

  
“How did you know that Chris?” Buck asked.

  
“You’re looking at each other differently. Like how Auntie Adriana looks at Uncle Joe.” Chris stated.

“Yes! If we can’t have mom then we can have Bucky. Plus, she makes us happy.”

“You really figured it out that fast, huh?” Buck asked.

“Thank God for you kid. You’re smarter than we gave you credit for.” Eddie said with a grin.

“You really figured it out that fast, huh?” Buck asked.

“Yeah, dad’s happier when he’s around you.”

“You just can’t go telling everyone yet, bud, ok. We just want it to be us for a while. Can you do that, mijo?” Eddie asked.

“My lips are sealed.” Chris said happily.

Buck smiled, and her heart felt full for the first time in a long time. Happy for the first time since Abe left, since she started as a firefighter.


	2. Chapter 2

After four more weeks the cast was finally coming off. And the doctors were saying that the healing process was looking on track. Buck was ecstatic to be able to finally clean and shave her leg. Sure, she had to use the walking boot for a few more weeks but at least she didn’t have to sleep with it on like the cast.

Eddie and Chris were in the doctor’s office with her as the doctor used the saw to cut off the cast. Chris’ eyes were wide with concern, but Buck shot him a wide smile in reassurance. When the cast came off Buck’s smile faded from her face as she saw how thin her leg had gotten, muscle deteriorated from lack of use.

“Hey, it’ll be ok, mi amor. That’s what the physical therapy is for.” Eddie said with a soothing tone as he rubbed her knuckles.

“Exactly, given time the muscle will be back to where it was before.” The doctor said with a calming smile. “Now, you still need to take it easy. You’re not out of the woods yet. If you feel any discomfort in your leg go to the emergency room immediately. Better safe than sorry.”

“You got it doc; this one will make sure I’m not overdoing it.” Buck said jerking her head in Eddie’s direction with a fond smile. Eddie just smirked and nodded as Chris laughed loudly.

“Alright, Ms. Buckley, you’re good to go. I’ll see you in a couple of weeks for a checkup. The nurse will be in to fit you with a walking boot, you’ll still need the crutches for the next couple of days at least until you can put any weight on that leg, got it?” the doctor said as she left.

“Got it, thanks doc.” Buck said with a small smile.

“Hey, it’ll be okay. You knew it was going to take a while. It’s not like a regular break, it was crushed.” Eddie said reassuringly.

“You’re right, I know, but I really just want to get back to work. It just feels like its taking forever.”

“It’s fine Ev, healing takes time.”

“Plus, we can do the physio exercises together, Buck!” Chris exclaimed with a bright smile.

“You’re right, superman. It’ll be fun.”

They waited just a few more minutes before the nurse came in with the walking boot and some papers. She fitted the boot onto Buck’s leg, with Buck watching intently so could know how to put on and take off the boot herself. Satisfied with the tightness the nurse sat back.

“Alright, you can take it off when you go to bed and for a shower but other then that it stays on.” The nurse eyed the two and Chris as well. “Just be careful with any activities you do.” She finished with a wink which had Buck and Eddie blushing brightly.

“What activities?” Chris asked innocently as the nurse left. Buck looked over at Eddie helplessly as if asking how to tell the 8-year-old about sex.

“Just grown-up stuff, mijo. I’ll explain when you’re older.” Eddie said as he handed Buck her crutches.

“Fine,” Chris said gloomily.

“You want to go see if Bobby has lunch ready at the station yet? He said we can come by after the appointment today.” Buck said to distract Chris from the awkward question.

“Yeah! Do you think I could slide down the firepole again?” Chris asked excitedly.

“I’m sure we could work that out, superman.” Eddie said as they walked out of the doctor’s office together. They got him settled in the truck and Eddie turned to Buck with a sly grin.

“Nice deflection, mi amor.” Eddie whispered. Buck blushed and shrugged her shoulders.

“I had to think of something.”

“Is Bobby really expecting us?”

“Um, no. I’ll give him a call.”

“Yeah, you should probably do that.” Eddie said with a chuckle. Buck grinned as she pulled out her phone. She pulled up Bobby’s number and pressed the call button.

“Buck, is everything ok? Do you need help?” Bobby asked immediately.

“Everything is fine, Bobby. Just wondering if you have the room for three more for lunch. Eddie and Christopher came with me for my appointment.”

“That’s why Eddie asked for today off.” Bobby said with amusement in his voice.

“Yeah,”

“Of course, it’s okay. Everyone here has missed you; it’s been quiet.”

“Don’t you worry, I’m sure I’ll be cleared before you know it. Alright Bobby, we’ll see you in a bit.”

“Tell Eddie to drive carefully, we don’t want to be cutting the three of you out of the truck.”

“I’ll pass on the information, bye Bobby.” Buck hung p with a laugh and looked over at Eddie with a grin.

“He says to drive safe.”

“I’m a very careful driver, you on the other hand….”

“Hey!”

“Just joking mi amor. Come on, let’s get over there before they get a call.”

“Right,” Eddie helped her into the truck and got in himself.

The drive over to the firehouse was relatively short. When they arrived the engine and an ambulance were gone. So, it looked like they had just missed them.

“Just my luck, huh” Buck said with a sigh.

“Well, let’s see who is here. Hopefully the call won’t take too long.” Eddie said as he helped Chris and Buck out of the truck.

“Remember Chris only Chim and Maddie know about us so let’s not mention it, alright.” Buck said as they made their way into the station.

“Hey guys, come on up! Cap said you were coming!” Jackson said from the loft.

“How long have they been gone?” Eddie asked as he helped Chris up the stairs. Buck slowly following, careful not to put any weight on her leg.

“Not long, they should be back soon. It was an easy call. It’s good to see you up and about, Buck.” Jackson said giving her a hug. The two were friends but not all that close.

“I’m just glad to be out of the cast. Still got a long way to go, Sara.” Buck said with a smile.

“Good, is she giving you a hard time at all, Diaz?” Jackson asked Eddie as they made their way to the couch.

“Just the usual amount.” Eddie said with a straight face trying not to give anything else away. Buck smacked him with a pillow as the four of them laugh.

“Well, everyone seems to be in good spirits.” A new voice joined in. They look up and see that the crew had returned without them realizing it.

“Hey Cap!” Buck said cheerfully.

“Is that Buck?!” came Hen’s voice. Soon Hen and Chim were bounding up the stairs and gave her a big hug.

“You got the cast off already?” Chim asked as he noticed the boot.

“Yeah, the rod and screws are still in and probably will for a while, but the doctor is giving me the go ahead to start physical therapy.”

“That’s great news!” Hen exclaimed with a grin as she hugged Buck.

“Bucky and I are going to do our exercised together.” Christopher announced with a happy smile.

“Really now. I think that’s a good plan.” Chim said with a knowing grin at the pair.

“Alright guys, let’s get some lunch before the bell rings.” Bobby called from the kitchen.

Buck sat between Eddie and Chris, and instantly she felt more at ease. For the first time in six weeks, she was with her entire firefighting family, the family she made, and she felt happy. She and Eddie shared a secret smile when no one was looking. For once they were able to finish a meal before the bell rang. They waved goodbye and headed out themselves.

The ride home was quiet, music playing quietly. Eddie looked into his mirror and saw that Chris was already dozing off, with his belly full. He tapped Buck and motioned for her to look as well. Buck turned and a soft smile on her face.

“He’s going to be terrible tonight, isn’t he?” Buck asked quietly as she took Eddie’s hand.

“Hopefully not, do you think you’d be up for a date night soon?”

“Oh, hell yeah. It’s been nice hanging out at the house, but I really can’t wait to get all dolled up for you, Eds.”

“As long as you don’t cover this.” He whispered lifting his hand to rub her birthmark over her left eye.

“You know, I used to hate this. Almost always had it covered, whether with my hair or with make up.”

“Why didn’t you like it? I love it, it’s a part of you, makes you, you.”

“Well, the kids I went to school with in elementary were cruel, as kids often are.”

“You were bullied? I can’t even imagine that.” He said squeezing her hand comfortingly.

“Only in grade school, but yeah, it was either my name or my birthmark that people made fun of. It’s why I went by Evie in school, it helped some. By the time I was off to college though, I didn’t care anymore.”

“It took that long? Nobody tried to help. At all? Not even Maddie?” Eddie asked starting to get mad for a young Buck.

“Maddie was always on my side. You know there’s a ten-year difference between us. By the time I was having problems she was already in college. But I called her and talked whenever I had a really bad day. That is until Doug came into the picture.”

“What about your parents?”

“My parents are those people who should have never had kids, but they did, they wanted Maddie, I was unexpected. They didn’t like the birthmark either.”

“And I thought my parents were bad, but mine were just controlling.”

“That still sounds pretty bad. But I’m fine Eddie, I have found a better family that cares.” Buck kissed his knuckles as they arrived back home. “I can’t wait until I can be able to work out again.”

“Having my work out partner back would be nice.” Buck stuck her tongue out at him. Eddie chuckled as he woke up Chris. “Wake up, mijo, we’re home.”

“Already?” Christopher mumbled.

“Yep, come on.”

Christopher climbed out of the truck and followed Buck and Eddie into the house. Christopher was more alert now and looked over at the two. He had never seen his Dad so happy, and Buck made him happy.

“Daddy, are you and Buck going to get married?” he asked as soon as Buck disappeared into the bathroom. Eddie stopped, frozen in place at the question. He turned and set Chris on the couch with him.

“Why do you ask that, Chris?”

“Because you’re happy. Much happier than you were with mom. And I love Buck and want her to stay here forever.” Eddie chuckled and pressed a kiss to Chris’ head.

“I’m much happier with Buck, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t love your mom. I probably will always love her in some way, she gave me you after all.” Chris chuckled as Eddie hugged him. “But as for Buck and I getting married, I think it’s too soon to talk about it but I do see it happening for us in the future.”

“Would you guys have more kids?”

“Maybe, but we haven’t talked about this. Do you want a little brother or sister?”

“A little brother! I think I could be a good big brother.”

“That’s not exactly how that works, superman.” Buck’s voice sounded making the both of them jump. They looked up to see Buck making her way towards them. “We can’t exactly pick the gender we want.”

“Really? Why not?”

“Because it’s the way things are, mijo. Why don’t you go play? I think Buck needs a nap.” Eddie said ignoring the look on Buck’s face.

“Alright, can you come play later? I know Bucky can’t really play right now with her leg.”

“Of course.”

“When my leg is all better, I promise the two of us will do something special.” Buck said.

“You promise?”

“Pinky promise?” Buck and Chris interlocked their pinkies. Chris then padded off into his room to play with his Legos.

“So, you want to tell me what that was about?” Buck asked Eddie quietly.

“Christopher was asking if we were going to get married and have kids. I know we haven’t talked about it and we’ve only bee together a month but….” Buck interrupted him with a sweet kiss.

“Yes, of course I want that with you someday. Only you, Eddie. I never really believed in that whole love at first sight but that is what this was. I can’t wait to see where this goes.”

“So, you do want kids?”

“Yes, but only with you, but maybe we can try after a few more months.”

“Maybe after the rod and screws are out.”

“Okay, I think I will go ahead and take a nap. Wake me up in a couple of hours, okay babe.”

“Sounds good, mi amor.” Eddie gave her a kiss and made her way into the bedroom.

Eddie walked in Chris’ room and smiled as he watched his son play with his Legos. Chris spotted him with a large smile on his face. Eddie sat on the floor so he could play as well.

“Is Buck napping now?” Chris asked.

“Yes, mijo, she needs it, she’s still healing.”

“It’s taking forever.” He pouted causing Eddie to smile sadly.

“I know bud, but it was a bad injury. She almost lost the leg.”

“It was that bad, daddy?” Chris’ eyes were wide. Eddie deliberately left that out when Buck was in the hospital after the accident.

“Yeah, it was buddy, but Buck had the best doctor’s, and they were able to save it.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I didn’t want you worry until there was something to worry about.”

“But you would have, right?”

“Right, mijo.”

“Daddy, can we get pizza for dinner?”

“We’ll see, bud.” Eddie said with a laugh. They played for a little while before Chris asked if he could play some video games. Eddie set him up and gave him a kiss on the top of his head.

“Alright bud, I’m going to go lay down with Buck. Don’t answer the door for anyone, ok bud. If you need anything….”

“Knock on your door, I remember, dad.”

“Alright, mijo, you have fun.” Chris gave him a bright smile before ruffling his hair and headed into his room.

Buck was laying on her side, the walking boot was off, and her leg rested on top of the other. She was wearing a pair of short shorts and a tank top. He could tell that she wasn’t wearing a bra and probably no underwear as well. Eddie took off his own shirt and jeans, leaving his boxers on and crawled in next to Buck and pulled her close and kissed her shoulder.

“Hmm, took you long enough, babe.” Buck mumbled sleepily.

“Chris wanted to play with Legos.”

Bucked rolled over and grinned sleepily at him. Eddie smiled, the butterflies back in the pit of his stomach, he tucked some blonde strands that fell over her eyes behind her ear. Smiling he leaned down and captured her lips with his in a chaste kiss.

“So, what is he doing now?” she asked as she straddled him.

“Playing video games. Be careful of your leg, mi amor.” Eddie said as he gripped her hips automatically.

“It feels fine right now. I can be quiet, babe.” Eddie sat up and took her tank top off.

“You sure about that, Ev.” Eddie attached his mouth to one of her nipples. She gasped quietly as she held his head to her chest.

“Hmm, the things you do to me.” she murmured. Eddie growled as he rolled over gently so as to not hurt her.

Buck laughed quietly as Eddied removed the rest of their clothes. They didn’t have a lot of time and they had to be quiet as Chris was in the living room. He entered her slowly and quickly began pumping his hips fast, his mouth attached to Buck’s trying to keep the noise down. Buck’s nails made tracks down his back as she gasped short shallow breaths as they reached their climaxes. Eddie silenced Buck with his mouth, so she wasn’t too loud. Eddie slid out and laid next to her, Buck then laid most of her upper body on his.

“We need a night where we can be loud.” Buck said as she traced patterns on his chest.

“Yeah, we do. I still need to take you on a date.”

“I’m looking forward to that.” She said with a happy sigh.

“Maybe go dancing.”

“You dance?” Buck asked lifting her head to look in his eyes.

“Maybe,” he said with a chuckle.

“I’ll hold you to it then. We’re gonna get a lot of crap from everyone when we tell people.”

“Yeah, but I like it when its just us, no one really watching us, except for Maddie and Chim.”

“And Chim hasn’t said anything, has he?”

“No, we would have noticed today.” Buck hummed and kissed his chest.

“True,” she turned and looked at him. “Did we forget the condom?” Eddie’s eyes widened and looked down.

“Uh, yeah, I did, shit.” Buck laughed and bit and tapped his chest.

“It’s fine, babe. I read it’s very unlikely to get pregnant while on the birth control I’m on.”

“But I’ve noticed that you haven’t had, ya know, that time of the month yet.” Eddie was panicking now, and Buck just had to laugh.

“Don’t worry about that, ever since they placed my IUD, I haven’t had that. Besides, it’ll be a miracle if it happens, given the precautions we have taken.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, now relax, babe. We have another thirty minutes before Chris is looking for dinner.”

“Oh yeah, he was wondering if we could get pizza for dinner.”

“Hmm, that sounds good.” Buck murmured closing her eyes. “Now rest,”

Eddie sighed and closed his eyes, not really falling asleep so he could hear his son coming down the hall. Given the quiet he was able to let his mind wonder. His thoughts going to when Buck will finally be able to go back home. He dreaded that day, didn’t want it to come at all. He was seriously thinking of asking her to move in with them. Which he hoped she would accept. A knock on the door forced him out of his thoughts.

“Just a minute, mijo.” Eddie called out loudly. “Mi amor, we got to get dressed.” Buck groaned and sat up.

“Already?” she mumbled.

“Yep, hurry up.” Tiredly Buck put on her clothes as did Eddie. “Alright mijo, come in.”

Chris came in and climbed into the bed. Eddie hoped that he didn’t notice the smell that Eddie could smell now. Chris snuggled right into Buck’s side. Eddie smiled and cuddled up with his family.

“What are you thinking about, babe?” Buck asked tiredly.

“A lot, actually.” He admitted.

“So, what about?” blue eyes looked into his brown eyes.

“I’m thinking of telling my parents.”

“Really? Do you think they’d approve?”

“Probably not at first, they may think it’s too soon.”

“But you love Buck, right? Just like you loved Mommy?” Chris asked.

“I do, which is why I want to tell them.”

“Your parents seemed nice when I met them last month.”

“Yeah, then.”

“Okay, well what about the other thing you were thinking about.”

“I was thinking of the future, that’s all.” He leaned in and kissed her sweetly which caused Chris to giggle.

“Is that so? All good, I hope.”

“Is Buck in those future thoughts, dad?”

“Yeah, she is.” Chris and Buck giggled as they cuddled in the bed.

“Good, cause you aren’t getting rid of me now.” Buck said.

The three of them cuddled and lounged in bed. It was nice just the three of them, hiding from the world. But soon enough they will be out in it, but for now it was nice.


	3. Chapter 3

Buck was sitting in a chair; she had a giant rubber band wrapped around her foot and leg. She worked on flexing her leg. It hurt like hell at first, but the more she worked the better it felt. Today Bobby was with her, to make sure she could get home. Rebecca, her physical therapist, was hovering over her, watching for any signs of pain.

“Alright, Evan, I think that’s enough for today.” Rebecca said with a smile.

“Come on, Rebecca, I can do a couple more sets.”

“Buck, there’s no rush, you need to pace yourself.” Bobby said gently.

“Exactly what your dad says, pace yourself. If you don’t, you’ll only cause yourself more pain.” Rebecca said.

“Fine,” Buck muttered quietly.

“Good, now remember to do your exercises for at most thirty minutes, and I’ll see you in a week and see where you are from there.” She said. Buck nodded and packed up her things.

“You didn’t correct her.” Bobby said as he helped Buck stand up. Se was able to walk without the boot now but still had a pronounced limp to her gait.

“What do you mean?” she asked as they made their way to Bobby’s truck.

“She called me your dad; you didn’t correct her.”

“That’s because I do see you as my dad. You’re here for me when my own parents don’t care to come.”

“Buck, are you serious? I just thought they weren’t able to.”

“Very serious, Bobby. Why do you think I’ve always went to you for advice?”

“Honestly, I’m not entirely sure.” He started up the truck and they headed out. “Are you still staying with Eddie?”

“Yeah, and probably will for a while. Stairs suck right now.”

“What happened to your apartment?”

“Well, I’m still paying my rent on it. I have a year lease; I can’t really get out of it. I picked a really good time to get my own place, huh?”

“Hey, nobody could have predicted that a bomb was placed under the ladder truck. That was an accident.”

“I know, but it happened right in the middle of moving in. I have crappy luck.”

“Now that I agree with.” Bobby said with a laugh. At a stop light Bobby turned and looked at her face. “Are you doing alright though, Buck, you seem a little pale.”

“I’m just tired, cap. I’ve been feeling really tired a lot lately. But once I have a nap, I’ll be fine.” Bobby hummed in response, remembering back to Marcy and how she was in the early stages of each pregnancy and Buck was showing a lot of the same symptoms.

“Are things going okay between you and Eddie? He seems fine at work, but we really haven’t had a get together since the accident.” Buck tried to keep her face neutral and to keep the blush from showing up on her cheeks. She turned and faced the window to keep Bobby from seeing. Bobby smirked, he knew that they had gotten a lot closer.

“Uh, yeah, everything is great. He’s the perfect gentlemen.”

“Good, otherwise I’d have to give him a firm warning…”

“What…!” Buck sputtered turning to face him with wide eyes. “How did you figure it out?”

“It wasn’t that hard. Eddie is really relaxed right now, and you seem to be smiling all the time, even while recovering.”

“You’re not mad?”

“No, I think the two of you are good for each other. They’ll be some paperwork to fill out once you’re back to work but other than that it’s fine.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously, it’s been done in other fire departments, at other stations, so why not here.” Bobby pulled up to Eddie’s house. Buck’s jeep parked in the driveway. “Now, get inside and take a nap. Don’t hesitate to call if you need anything.”

“Alright Bobby, thanks for coming with me today.” Bobby smiled as he watched Buck limp up the driveway and into the safety of the house.

Before Buck could settle down for a nap, she set to work putting a roast in the crock pot. Once done she went and laid down in the bed. It didn’t take long after hitting the pillow before she was out like a light.

Eddie and Christopher walked into the house; the aroma of the roast permeated through the house. Smiling he settled Christopher down at the table so he could get started on his homework. With Chris busy Eddie went into the bedroom to see Buck sleeping soundly. He walked over and tucked a strand of hair out of her face and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“Hmm, your home.” Buck murmured sleepily.

“Yeah, how was your session today?” he asked as he climbed over her to cuddle with her.

“It went well, was able to do about four sets. Oh, and Bobby knows, he figured it out.”

“Seriously? I would have thought Hen would figure it out first.” Eddie chuckled.

“Seriously, we haven’t even been on a date yet.” Buck chuckled.

“Well, how about Friday, you and I go out. Maybe go to the movies or go dancing.” He suggested.

“Maybe dinner and a movie for now. And then go dancing once my leg is a lot better, and not walking with a limp.”

“Sounds fair to me.” Eddie said kissing her sweetly.

“Hmm, it smells good.”

“Yeah, it does. I’m glad you brought your crock pot. It was a smart idea.”

“Hmm, I love my crock pot.” She yawned and looked over at the clock which read 4:00pm. “Shit, is that the time?”

“Yep,”

“Damn, I had a long nap.”

“You’ve been tired a lot lately, mi amor.” Eddie had a worried look on his face.

“I just think I’m tired because of the physical therapy, babe.”

“That could be, but you should probably talk to your doctor about it.” 

“I probably should. Come one, let’s go keep superman company. I also need to finish dinner.”

“I’m surprised he hasn’t come to find us yet.” Eddie said with a chuckle.

They both got up and made their way to the living room. Christopher was sitting at the table taping a pencil on his notebook as he looked at the problem in his textbook. Buck went over to Christopher and pressed a kiss on the top of his head which caused him to giggle.

“Whatcha working on, superman?” Buck asked as she sat next to him.

“Math,” Christopher made a face as Buck giggled.

“I know how you feel, bud. Math was never my strong suit.”

“What was your favorite subject in school, Buck?” Buck hummed in thought, thinking back to her time in school.

“I always enjoyed history, so I think was my favorite. What about you bud, what’s your favorite subject?”

“Science, I love science. What was your favorite subject, dad?”

“I never really enjoyed school, but I really liked sports, especially baseball.” Eddie said.

“I could see that.” Buck said with a laugh.

“Were you involved with sports, Buck?” Christopher asked.

“Yeah, I was. I was the first girl to play football at my high school. It took a lot of convincing to the school board.”

“Really? I’m surprised. What position did you play?” Eddie asked. “And how come I never knew that?”

“I played wide receiver. It took a lot of convincing. I had to fight for the position. But my team had my back.”

“That’s good to know. So, let’s see what you are working on, mijo, and we can get this done before dinner.”

Eddie and Christopher worked on his homework while Buck was in the kitchen. Before they knew it, dinner was done, and Christopher was done with his homework. They ate dinner and after dinner they settled down with a movie. Christopher fell asleep in the middle of the movie, so they called it an early night.

Friday was there before they knew it. Buck was feeling really giddy about it. Sure, she had first dates before, but this was different, it was Eddie, and she wanted to look nice for him. Eddie was at work and Christopher was spending the day and night with his Abuela as school was officially out for the summer. So, Buck called Maddie to get her help, she picked up the phone and dialed her sister.

“Hey, Evan, is everything alright?” Maddie asked immediately.

“Yeah, Mads, everything is fine. I just need you to come over and help me. Eddie is taking me out tonight, I need help picking out my outfit.” Maddie laughed, “Maddie, I’m serious, I don’t know what to wear!”

“Alright, alright, I’ll be there in ten. Don’t you worry, we’ll pick out the best outfit.” Maddie said and buck could tell that her sister was smiling widely.

“Thanks, see you soon, sis.” Buck hung up and looked at the collection of clothes she had thrown on the bed. The rest were still at her apartment.

One thing was certain, skirt, dresses, and high heels were out. She didn’t want to show off the scar on her leg and she still had a noticeable limp. So, a nice pair of jeans and a nice top, she just didn’t know what top. Here at Eddie’s, she just had the odd tank top or t-shirt, not really date night clothes. She really had to go back to her apartment to get her make-up, nice tops, her curling iron, and her jewelry.

While waiting for her sister she started doing her physical therapy exercises. Sitting at the kitchen table she started flexing her leg, but she couldn’t wait to start her full body work-out again. A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. She saw Maddie smiling at her through the glass door. When she opened the door, Maddie gave her a big hug.

“You’re looking good, Buck.” Maddie commented with a smile.

“Slowly but surely.” She said looking down at her leg.

“You’ll get there. So, let’s go see what you’re working with.” Maddie said as they made their way to the bedroom.

“I don’t have much here, if anything we may have to go to my apartment.”

“Or we can go shopping.” Maddie suggested.

“I think I like that idea. I don’t think I have what I have in mind.”

“So, are you going to wear jeans?” she asked as she looked at the clothes on the bed.

“Yeah, don’t really want to show off my leg right now.”

“So, do you know what you’re doing?”

“No idea, he wants to surprise me.”

“Then we should go to the store. Get you a whole new outfit.”

“Right, but I still need to go to the apartment, my make-up, curling iron, and jewelry are there.”

“Hmm, good point. After we get a new outfit we’ll go to the apartment and grab those, then we’ll grab some lunch. You gonna surprise Eddie with all of your piercings?”

“Most have closed, my tongue is probably the only one that hasn’t.”

“Your eyebrow one looks ok.” Maddie said as she looked at her left eyebrow. You can’t really see the hole for the piercing as the birthmark camouflaged it pretty well.

“Maybe, but it will hurt going back through.”

“Do you want it back in?”

“I’m thinking about it. I took it out for work, can’t exactly have a piece of metal in my face while fighting fires.”

“That’s true, so let’s get going, you’ll let me know if you need to rest, right?” Maddie said giving her a look.

“I promise to tell you if I need to stop and rest.”

“Good, let’s go.”

Buck followed Maddie to her car, and they headed to the first store. Not knowing if she was going to find what she is looking for at one store, so the plan is to go to a couple of different stores. It was nice to finally be able to go out with her sister. Buck pulled out her phone to text Eddie.

**_*To Eddie: Maddie and I are going shopping for clothes for our date tonight._ **

Buck put her phone on her lap. She wasn’t expecting an answer back right away, knowing he was at work. Her phone buzzed with a reply from him much to her surprise.

**_*From Eddie: Have fun, as for tonight, it’s a surprise._ **

**_*To Eddie: Come on, babe. I need clues so I’m not overdressed or underdressed._ **

**_*From Eddie: Mi amor, it doesn’t matter what you look like. Just as long as we’re together._ **

“Well, he’s no help.” Buck said as she reread the text.

“What?” Maddie asked.

“Just Eddie not giving me any clues. Says it doesn’t what I wear.”

“Of course, he doesn’t care, he’s a man. Bu don’t worry, we’ll find something nice.”

“I know,” Buck said with a smile as she texted Eddie back.

**_*To Eddie: Alright then, it’s on you if I get weird looks tonight._ **

They arrived at a Wal-Mart first. They didn’t find what Buck wanted to wear. Next was a Target. She and Maddie browsed through the selection. Again, Buck didn’t find what she wanted; sure, she found several cute shirts but not really something she thought she could wear on a date. Next stop was a Kohls, and Buck really hoped she found what she is looking for here. After browsing the women’s section, Buck found a blue tank top with a V-neck with lace around the neckline. She held it up to show Maddie.

“What do you think?” she asked her sister.

“I like it, go try it on.” Maddie said.

Buck grabbed one in her size and a couple of different colors. She and Maddie made their way to the changing room. After trying on the different tops, she and Maddie decided on the blue top to make her eyes pop. Next, they went browsing through the jeans until she found a nice pair of dark blue jeans the faded to the middle and had a nice design on the back pockets. Buck then decided to get some matching underwear, usually she just wore a sports bra cause of her job, but she wanted to be fancy for Eddie. She found a navy-blue lacy bra and matching underwear. They went to the checkout and bought the items. Once the items were bought, they headed back to the car and got in.

“So, are you going to wear regular shoes or high heels?” Maddie asked.

“Tennis shoes, I don’t think heels are a good idea right now, plus I’m already taller than Eddie.” She responded.

“I don’t think he cares that you’re taller, but with you still healing no high heels is a good idea.”

“I know he doesn’t care and neither do I. I just don’t want people to stare at us, ya know.”

“You probably will anyway, I mean, you both are extremely good looking. People are going to get jealous.”

“You think so?” Buck asked.

“Yep, now let’s go get your make-up, jewelry and curling iron. Do you want to re-pierce your eyebrow?”

“Nah, I don’t think so, I think I’ll just force the tongue ring through though.”

“If its partially closed at least.”

“True, but I’m thinking of getting a new erring for my naval. Eddie already knows about that one.”

“Alright, we’ll stop by and get a couple of new rings for you at a parlor.” Maddie said.

“That one.” Buck said pointing at a small shop near her apartment. “That’s where I’ve gone the last few times.”

“Sounds good,” Maddie pulled into the parking lot. She and Buck went into the shop and the girl at the counter greeted them without looking up.

“Hello, I’m Chloe how can I help you?” she finally looked up and saw Buck. “Buck! What are you doing here, girl?” the piercer asked giving her a hug.

“Hey Chloe, well I need to get new bars for my naval and tongue. I haven’t exactly worn my tongue ring for a while so I’m worried it may have started closing up a bit.

“Well, let’s take a look.” She stepped away and directed Buck to a chair.

Buck sat in the chair and opened her mouth and stuck her tongue out. Chloe put gloves on and prodded the hole in the middle of the tip of the tongue. Chloe clicked her tongue in thought.

“Good news is it’s not fully closed so it’ll be easy enough to get the bar back through, but it’ll hurt for a little while.”

“That’s ok Chloe, I’m pretty used to the pain right now.”

“What happened?” Chloe asked as she got to work. Buck picked out the new ring for her tongue and for her naval.

“My sister is recovering from having her leg crushed by the ladder truck a few months back.” Maddie said.

“Jesus, that was you, Buck?” Chloe asked as she put the bar through her tongue. Buck nodded slightly as felt a slight sting in her tongue.

“Well, there you are, all done. How does it feel?” Chloe asked as she tightened the ball.

“Feels good, thanks Chloe.” Buck paid for the rings and she and Maddie left the store.

They headed to the apartment, it felt strange to be back there after so long of being away. Buck let them in and noticed that she needed to clean it up. She hadn’t been here for like a month. She grabbed her jewelry box, the curling iron, and her make-up bag. She nodded at her sister and they headed to a place for them to eat lunch and catch up. Her phone pinged with a text as her and Maddie were eating lunch.

**_*From Eddie: Hope you and Maddie are having fun. Really looking forward to our date._ **

**_*To Eddie: Looking forward to it as well. And yeah, we are having a lot of fun. You’re going to be surprised ;P_ **

**_*From Eddie: What did you do?_ **

**_*To Eddie: It’s a surprise._ **

Buck chuckled as she finished eating. Maddie was giving her a strange look.

“Why are you chuckling?” Maddie asked.

“Just teasing Eddie.” Buck said with a grin.

“He’s probably going crazy, now.” Maddie’s phone pinged, “Yep, according to Chim he’s going crazy.” Maddie said with a laugh.

“This is fun.” Buck said with a laugh. “But at this rate everyone is going to know before we want them too.”

“Doesn’t Bobby already know? So, Hen and everybody else at the firehouse still need to be clued in.”

“Honestly, I’m surprised they hadn’t figured it out. I know Eddie seems more relaxed at home but since I’m not working right now I don’t know how he is at work.”

“I’m sure someone has figured it out, cause I’m sure he has started acting differently.”

“Someone probably already suspects something, because for one Shannon only has been gone about 4 months already, some might say it’s too soon to start dating again but she was gone for like 3 years before she came back into their lives.”

“Maybe they don’t know the details and may think what they want but don’t fret on what other’s think, ok Buck.”

“I’m not worried, Mads. I’m actually extremely excited about tonight.”

“Alright, do you want me to stay or are you good?” Maddie asked they pulled up to Eddie’s house.

“Nope, I think I’m good, thanks Mads.” They hugged and Buck grabbed her bags and headed up to the house.

Buck threw the new clothes in the wash and then jumped in the shower. After making sure she was clean she transferred the clothes to the dryer. She was wrapped in a towel with her hair up as well looking through her jewelry. She jumped when Eddie’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Now you make that look, look so good.” Eddie’s voice sounded as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

“You’re home early, babe.” Buck said as she turned her head and gave him a kiss.

“What are you looking at anyway?” he asked das he too looked on the bed. “Did you stop at the apartment today?”

“Yeah, had to get a few things.”

“Yeah? I’m sorry to have distracted you then.”

“You’re not distracting me, just contemplating what earrings and necklace to wear.” She murmured as she studied her collection once more.

“How about you wear thins one.” Eddie said as he held a box in front of her face.

She turned in his arms to look him in the eyes as she opened the box. In the box was a silver heart with an infinity symbol in the top portion of the heart, on the infinity symbol were black gemstones and the bottom of the heart were diamonds. It was beautiful and she leaned in and kissed Eddie twice as a thank you.

“Eddie, I love it.” She whispered as she took it out of the box. “Put it on me, please?”

“Of course, mi amor.” Eddie said as he took the necklace and secured it around Buck’s neck. “I knew it would look good on you, mi amor.” He said as he kissed her cheek.

“You have good taste, babe. Thank you.” Buck said giving Eddie a sweet kiss. “Now, I need to finish getting ready.”

“Is it really going to take you an hour?”

“Possibly,” she said with a grin.

Eddie shook his head as he grabbed a change of clothes and went to get a shower. Buck grabbed a pair of hoops and a pair of crescent moon earrings. She cleaned them and the holes and put the earrings in. She then grabbed her make-up mirror and started to do her eyes. She did a smokey eye look with her slate grey eye shadow. From there she undid the towel wrapped around her head and started brushing her hair. By the time she was ready to give her hair a more wavey look the shower cut off. By the time she was done curling her hair a bit more than usual Eddie exited the bathroom.

“Your sill not ready yet, Buck?” he asked, his voice filled with amusement.

“Almost, just got to get my clothes from the dryer and change my belly ring and then get dressed.” She said as she grabbed the clothes from the dryer. “Don’t come in yet, you wouldn’t want to ruin the magic, right.”

“Whatever you say, mi amor.” Eddie said a chuckle.

Buck quickly changed her belly ring and got dressed. When she pulled up her jeans, she struggled a little bit to button them, but she attributed it to it being fresh from the dryer. She put on her shoes and took one last look in the mirror to make sure that her hair still looked ok.

“Ok, Eds, I’m ready.” Buck said coming out of the room.

Eddie turned around and stared at her with a strange look in his eyes. Buck smiled and slowly turned on the spot for him with a grin on her face. Eddie groaned and stepped forward and brought Buck into his arms and kissed her deeply. When he felt the stud of the tongue ring he stopped and stared at her.

“What is it, Ed?” Buck asked innocently. Eddi groaned before he found his voice again.

“When did you get your tongue pierced?” he asked lowly with a hint of want in his voice.

“When I was 18, I took it off a few months ago so I decided to put it back in.”

“You are going to drive me crazy, mi amor.” He growled again.

“Later, I promise.” Buck said with a wink as Eddie groaned once again. “Where are we going anyway?”

“I’m half-tempted to just abandon our plans and just take you to bed, Ev.” Buck laughed and kissed him once more.

“After you wine and dine me properly, Diaz. I didn’t get all dressed up for nothing.” Eddie sighed and clenched and unclenched her fists in order to calm himself down.

“We do have a reservation.” He finally said after calming down some.

“It’s a good thing I’m hungry then.” She said.

Buck linked her arm with his and they headed off to his truck. Eddie opened the passenger door for Buck. She grinned and kissed his cheek as he closed the door. Eddie jumped in and they headed out.

“So what are the plans?” Buck asked, she noticed they were headed towards Santa Monica Pier.

“I found a fairly decently priced restaurant. I hope it’s good, I’ve never been there.”

“I’m sure it’ll be good, Eds.” Buck said with a smile. Eddie grabbed her hand and kissed her knuckles.

They arrived at a placed called Skylight Gardens. It was close to UCLA and it looked and smelled delicious. Buck smiled at Eddie as they made their way into the restaurant. They didn’t have to wait long before they were seated.

“Well, as far as dates go, you picked good, babe.” Buck said with a grin.

“I was just waiting for the right time, and for you to be able to walk unaided, mi amor.” Eddie said with a grin as well.

Their waiter handed them each a menu. After studying the menu for a while they ordered some wine and each ordered a ravioli dish. They sat and talked and ate their meals. It was nice, just the two of them. At the end of the meal Buck was determined to split the check.

“So, what else is on the agenda?” she asked as they made it back to the truck.

“Well, I know that we talked about going to the movies, but I would love to take you dancing. How is your leg feeling?” the feeling of warmth filled Buck and it had nothing to do with the wine she drank.

“It’s good, Eds. However, I don’t think I can do any of the fast dances.”

“That’s okay, we don’t need to do anything fast.” Eddie smiled warmly at her as they headed over to the club that was closer to the house.

“You know, I used to come up to this one all the time when I tried out to be a SEAL.” Buck said as flashes of memories erupted in her brain.

“I didn’t know you tried out for the SEAL’s. What was that like?” Eddie asked, shock evident in his voice.

“Grueling, I dropped out during hell week. I was so determined to be the first female SEAL, but it was so hard.”

“So I’ve heard, well if any woman could do it, you would’ve.” He said confidently.

“Well, I was close, but it became too much.”

“Hmmm, well I’m sure you would’ve been a great SEAL.”

“Thanks Eddie,” she said with a smile.

They arrived at the clubbed, they flashed their ID’s but neither really wanted to drink more that night. They music was loud, and the beat was almost matching their heartbeats. Eddie lead her to the dance floor and placed his hands on her hips and she placed her around his neck. They only had eyes for each other, not caring for anything else going on around them. They spent like two hours at the club before heading home.


	4. Chapter 4

Today was the day, the day that Buck was waiting for. It was the day of her recertification. She was excited but at the same time she was nervous. Eddie was leaning against the door as he watched her work her hair back in a bun. It had been a long five months, but she was finally able to fully support her weight and able to work out again, she noticed that her stomach was a little more plump than she would like. She wasn’t back to where she was before the incident, but she was ready to get back to work.

“Are you excited, cariño?” Eddie asked wrapping his arms around her waist.

“Very, just think this time in a week we’ll be back at work together, back to having each other’s backs, right?”

“Right, and I’ll be able to relax a bit more on calls. It’s been a long five months without you watching my back.” Eddie said kissing her cheek.

“Hmm, then we’ll have some forms to fill out, especially since Bobby knows.” She turned and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Do you think that Bobby will split us up?”

“I seriously hope not.” Eddie said giving her a peck on the lips. “Come on, we got to go. We both have a long day ahead of us and Carla just got here.”

“Alright, let’s go say goodbye to superman.” She kissed him and slapped his ass on the way out of the bathroom with a grin on her face.

“Buckaroo! Big day today.” Carla said as they walked into the living room.

“I’m very excited and nervous.” Buck said. Christopher gave her a big hug as soon as Carla stepped away from her.

“You’re going to do great, Buck.” Christopher said confidently.

“I like your confidence, bud. I wish I had that confidence.” She said.

“I agree you’re going to pass with flying colors, mi amor.” Eddie said with a smile.

“Yeah, we all know that Buck is going to pass but she won’t if she doesn’t make it over to the academy for the test.” Carla said shooing the both of them out of the house.

“Do you get the feeling that we’re being pushed out of the house?” Buck asked Eddie as they walked down to the driveway hand in hand.

“I think so,” he said with a laugh, “anyway, let’s get going. Text me after your recertification.”

“I will. Stay safe, babe. I love you.” Buck whispered. Eddie seemed to freeze at those words for a second before smiling widely and pulling Buck into his arms again for a long passionate kiss.

“I love you, too, Ev.” He whispered against her lips. “Now, good luck.”

“Stay safe, babe. I’ll see you tonight.” She said as she went to her jeep.

“Don’t overdo it, cariño.” Eddie called as he jumped into his truck.

Eddie watched as Buck drove off in her jeep and he headed towards the firehouse. He couldn’t believe that she loved him like he loved her too. It was unbelievable to him that his feelings were reciprocated. He made it to the firehouse with a big smile on his face.

“Why do you look so happy?” Bobby asked as he spotted Eddie walking into the locker room.

“Buck said she loves me and I said it back.” Eddie said with a grin. Bobby smiled back and clapped a hand on his shoulder.

“You knew this already, Eddie. It just took a while for you guys to say it.” He said. Eddie smiled and nodded as he changed into his uniform.

“How is Buck doing anyway? Is she nervous about today?” Bobby asked.

“She’s excited but nervous.” Eddie said as Chim and Hen came into the locker room after Eddie finished changing.

“So, how is Buckaroo? Is she excited about her recertification?” Hen asked as she put on her watch.

“She’s excited but nervous.” Eddie repeated as they headed up to the loft.

“It’s Buck, she’s got this. We got to have faith that she’ll succeed. But if she doesn’t Maddie already has two different cakes ordered.” Chim said. Eddie gave him a flat look. “Okay, so the two cakes were my idea. I just want to be prepared in case she doesn’t.”

“Let’s no think about that, we have to think positive.” Bobby said.

“Exactly, we got everything planned for tonight.” Hen said.

“Athena is excited, it’s out first party as a married couple.” Bobby said with a grin.

“I still can’t believe you guys got married without us.” Hen said shaking her head.

“That’s why I’m not bringing a present.” Chim said.

Just then the alarm went off. A kid had lost control of his dad’s classic car and it won’t slow down. The team headed toward the trucks to head out to help out.

“The kid’s car is moving like a runaway freight train, but they got a plan to slow him down before he crashes.” Bobby said as they climbed into the trucks.

“So, we’re on clean up duty?” Chim asked.

“Not exactly.” Bobby commented. They started driving towards the interstate and he explained the plan to slowing the car down.

“They’re clearing a stretch of Woodley Avenue. We’ll meet them there.” He said.

“How fast is he going?” Hen asked.

“105. Once he gets to Woodley Avenue, he’ll hit the brakes, hope he slows down a little, and that’s where we come in.” Bobby said.

“That’s a vintage car.” Chim said.

“You worried about damaging a classic, Chim?” Eddie asked.

“I’m worried about damaging the kid, airbags weren’t standard until the ‘80’s.” Chim said.

“A car that old, we’re lucky it has a shoulder harness.” Hen said.

“But if they can get it down to 60 or 70….” Eddie said.

“I like his chance better.” Chim said.

“What kind of crazy person came up with this plan?” Hen asked as she looked out the window.

“My wife.” Bobby said.

Every time Bobby says that Eddie couldn’t help but think of Buck. He just hoped that this crazy plan worked so he could tell Buck all about it.

“Bobby, are you ready?” Athena’s voice came over the radio.

“We’re getting into position on Woodley Avenue.” Bobby relayed back.

They pulled in front of the car on the road. Anxiety was high, they just hoped this worked without hurting the kid too much. They felt the car hit the back of the truck as they eventually slowed to a stop. They all jumped out of the truck to help the kid in the yellow Ferrari with the tires smoking. Bobby and Eddie grabbed crowbars as they pried the canvas roof off of the car. Bobby then grabbed the kid and pulled him out and laid him on the gurney. Thankfully it only looks like he had a broken nose and maybe a concussion. Eddie turned and grabbed the extinguishers in order to spray the car down as the tires caught fire, and the kid’s dad arrived.

“Tony! Is he okay?” the dad asked as they headed towards the ambulance.

“Broken nose, and a possible concussion.” Hen said.

“When you hit the steering wheel, was it just your head or your chest too?”

“Head,” Tony said.

“I’m not seeing any signs of chest trauma. They’ll do scans at the hospital just in case.” Chim said.

“Buddy, it’s gonna be okay. They’re gonna take you to the hospital. You’ll be alright, okay?” the dad said.

“I’m sorry, Dad.”

“It’s all right. It’s just a car.” The dad said.

Eddie finished spraying down the car, he sat the extinguisher down and reached into the car. The gear shift was broken and he was able to take it out of the car. After studying it he brought it over to where Athena was talking to the dad.

“They’ll be an investigation to determine what caused the car to malfunction.” Athena said.

“I’d call it a loose clutch.” Eddie said holding up the gear shifter.

“Looks like the gear shift broke clean off under the boot. Throttle must have gotten stuck wide open from the linkage break.” Bobby said.

“Wait, how’s the car? Can it be fixed?” Tony asked.

“Here, something to remember it by.” Eddie said handing the shifter to the dad.

“You know. I heard there’s a Testerossa coming up for auction soon.” The dad said to his son. “What do you say we get that instead?”

“Does it have airbags?” Tony asked. They both laughed as they climbed/rolled into the ambulance.

“Kid’s today.” Athena said as she walked back to her cruiser.

They climbed back into the trucks when Eddie’s phone pinged with a text. Smiling he opened the text.

**_*From Buck: Just about to do the doll factory. Wish me luck, babe._ **

**_*To Buck: You don’t need it, mi amor. You got this._ **

**_*From Buck: <3 :-)* _ **

“Buck is about to do the doll factory.” Eddie said.

“She’s going to nail it.” Bobby said.

***With Buck***

Being back in her turnout gear was like being wrapped in a protective blanket. She was just waiting for her turn. Finally, she was up with a new recruit named Martinez. They made their way through the burning building looking for the mannequin they are rescuing from the fire. She looked around and down and saw a metal grate in the floor. She turned to Martinez.

“Martinez! I got something.” She said, her voice muffled by the respirator.

She turned and opened the grate and jumped down to the floor below. There was a slight twinge in her leg, but it was nothing too bad. She picked up the mannequin, lifting it over her shoulders and headed out of the building.

“I got her, headed down now.” She said into the radio.

She ran out of the building with the mannequin. She placed her on the ground once she was out of the building. She took off the respirator and her helmit, breathing heavily. She looked over at the person in charge of the test.

“Baby doll factory, new record. Most people take the stairs. Welcome back, Buckley.” She had a proud smile on her face as she shook the guys hand as the cadets around her cheered.

She felt so good she immediately pulled out her phone to call Eddie. She didn’t want to wait anymore, and she wanted to share the news as soon as possible. She had a smile on her face as soon as Eddie answered the phone.

“Buck! Tell me you have good news.” Eddie said.

“I passed! And I got the new record!” she said with a proud smile.

“You broke the record?” amusement was evident in his voice as cheers were heard from his end.

“Of course, you would break the record. Is you leg feeling alright?” Chim asked.

“It feels good, Chim. I have to go, I’ll see you guys later.” Buck said as she hung up. Her phone pinged right away with a text.

**_*From Eddie: I’m so proud of you. I love you, mi amor._ **

She smiled and put her phone away as she changed back into her street clothes. She got the certificate and go in her jeep. Later that night Maddie came and picked her up for a girl’s night.

“So, where are we going exactly?” she asked.

“It’s a surprise, but we got to make a pit stop first.” Maddie said.

“Alright, so is it at Athena’s house?”

“Um, yeah, we have to go in real quick.” Maddie said with a weird look on her face.

“Um, okay, whatever you say, Maddie.” Buck said, though she wasn’t convinced. She was suspecting that their new found family had something planned. When they arrived at the Grant-Nash household to see a bunch of cars in front of the house. She shot a confused look to her sister.

“What is everyone doing here?” Buck asked as she spotted Eddie’s truck and Hen’s SUV.

“Um, no reason, come on, let’s get inside.” Maddie said.

Buck just shook her head and followed her sister to the front door. Athena opened the door giving Buck a hug. The three women walked down the stairs laughing until all their family jumped out.

“Surprise!!” Buck jumped back startled and looked over at her sister.

“Did you do this?” she asked her.

“Yeah,” they smiled, and Buck ran over to Eddie who met her half-way, and they gave each other a quick hug.

Buck went around and greeted everyone until she found herself by Eddie and Christopher’s side. They gave each other a small smile and squeezed each other’s hands as Christopher spoke-up.

“Can I give Buck her present now?” he asked.

“Of course, mijo.” Buck knelt in front of Chris. He handed Buck a homemade card with a picture of Buck, a surfboard and Christopher on the front.

“Wow, thanks, buddy. Wow, this is great.” Buck said.

“It’s you and me.” Chris said.

“Oh, and what’s that?” she asked pointing at the surfboard.

“It’s a surfboard, right? He’s obsessed.” Eddie said as they both laughed. Buck opened the card and almost cried at the sweet message written on the inside.

“Dear Buck, You’re and awesome firefighter. Love, Christopher.” She looked into his eyes that were so much like his dad’s and smiled. “Thank you, superman, that’s very sweet of you.” She kissed the top of his head.

She shared a smiled with Eddie as she went around to thank the rest of the group. She finally made her way over to Hen and Karen who began talking about their IVF process and showed her a picture of the person who they picked from the sperm bank.

“So that’s your future baby daddy. Looks a little young.” Buck said with a smile as she tried to joke.

“No, this photo is like, 20 years old. For privacy reasons they can’t show you what he looks like now.” Hen said with a laugh. Karen then punched Buck playfully.

“Yeah, and he’s not a baby daddy. He’s a sperm donor.”

“Well, he is a cute sperm donor. I hope you guys get the outcome you want, and I think he’s gonna make a real cute kid.” There were tears in both Buck’s and Karen’s eyes.

“You are so sweet.” Karen said giving her a hug. Buck detangled herself from Karen and made her way over to Maddie and Chim who gave her a hug.

“I can’t believe you managed to keep this a secret. There’s cake?” Buck said as she saw the two cakes.

“Uh, two cakes.” Chim said as he handed Buck a slice of cake.

“We weren’t sure how today was gonna go.”

“So we had another on stand-by in case you crashed and burned that said. ‘Better Buck next time.’” Chim said.

“Wow, thanks for having faith guys.” Buck said mock glaring at them as Maddie fed Chim a bite of cake.

She shook her head and went over to talk with Bobby, who was over by the grill. He smiled that kind of fatherly smile he always shared with her and gave her a hug.

“So, the paperwork will be on my desk and you’ll be back at the station on Monday.” Bobby said, “How does it feel.”

“It feels good, thank you for being by my side for all the doctor appointments and the physical therapy when Eddie couldn’t be there.” Tightness was beginning to present itself in her chest. A cough escaped between her lips as she brought her hand up to block it.

“Hey, are you alright?” Bobby asked. Before Buck could answer though her vision went white and she knew no more.

***With Eddie***

Coughing was heard throughout the yard; everyone’s attention was suddenly on Buck and Bobby. Buck was coughing and then she suddenly stopped, her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed into Bobby’s arms. Eddie’s eyes were wide as he ran to his girlfriend’s side as well as Chim and Hen. He could hear Maddie in the background on the phone with 9-1-1.

“Eddie, has she been complaining about any pain or discomfort?” Bobby asked him at his attempt to keep Eddie calm.

“She hasn’t said, but I noticed that she was favoring the leg a bit.” Eddie said trying in vain to keep his voice from wavering.

“Her airway is blocked by blood.” Hen said.

“Pulmonary embolism, she’s showing all the symptoms, but she did pass out before the blood came out.” Chim said.

“Let’s get her on her side.” Hen said. Athena brough a blanket and they placed it over Buck and elevated her feet to prevent shock.

“Ambulance is two minutes out. Is she doing okay?” Maddie asked, fear evident in her voice.

“She’s stable, the kids?” Hen asked.

“Karen and Michael have them in May’s room watching a movie. Christopher is worried though.” Maddie said.

“Good, they don’t need to see this, she’s really pale.” Athena commented. Bobby pulled her, Maddie, and Eddie to the side so they could talk without anyone else hearing.

“She has been for a while now. Maddie, when you guys get to the hospital, they should run a pregnancy test as well.” Bobby said. Eddie’s eyes widened comically in fear.

“We’ve been really careful.” He hissed at Bobby so the others wouldn’t hear.

Bobby didn’t say anything as the paramedics arrived. Maddie and Chim climbed into the ambulance to go with Buck. Eddie, Bobby, Hen and Athena following behind the ambulance to the hospital. Eddie was freaking out, she was fine, didn’t complain about any pain. The four of the were in the waiting room waiting to hear how Buck was doing.

***With Buck***

Groaning, Buck awoke, blinking as the bright lights above her blinded her. Of course, she was in the hospital again, the smell of the disinfectant strong, making her queasy. She felt pressure in her hand, so she turned her head to see that it was her sister.

“What happened?” she asked Maddie quietly.

“You passed out, you had a pulmonary embolism, Evan. They’re running some more tests right now.” Maddie said.

“What? Where’s Eddie? Are the kids okay?” she asked.

“The kids are okay; they didn’t really see anything. Eddie is out in the waiting room. I’ll go and get him once the doctor comes in.” Maddie said.

“You really scared us, Buckaroo.” Chim said.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you guys.” Buck said softly.

“I know you didn’t, let’s just see what the doctor says, ok.” Maddie said. Buck nodded as they waited for the doctor to come in. A knock sounded on the door as the doctor came into the room.

“Miss Buckley, it’s good to see you awake. I’m Dr. Calloway.” The doctor said as he came to her bedside with a clipboard.

“So, what’s the verdict, doc?” Buck asked.

“Well, there’s good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?” she looked at Maddie and Chim to see what she should hear first.

“Um, let’s hear the bad news.” She said quietly.

“Well, you had a pulmonary embolism. You were very lucky, most people who have one aren’t surrounded by first responders.” The doctor said. “We ran some tests while you were unconscious and found two other clots in your leg.”

“Where did the clots come from? This came out of nowhere.” Chim asked.

“Did it? You weren’t experiencing any pain, discoloration or anything?”

“I thought I pulled a muscle; I’ve been training for my firefighter recertification.”

“That’s not surprising, dehydration can cause clots. You also seem to be anemic which attributed to you passing out.”

“So, what’s the good news?” Maddie asked feeling she already knew the answer. Buck was already beginning to show even if she didn’t know what it was.

“Well, congratulations, you’re pregnant.” Buck froze and looked at her sister who was smiling slightly.

“Um, how? We’ve been extremely careful, I have the Mirena and we’ve used a condom.” Buck said.

“Well, it’s not common, but it does happen. Like 3 out of every 10,000 women still get pregnant while using both contraception’s. Is your partner here?”

“Um, yeah, he’s in the waiting room.” Buck said numbly. “How far along am I?”

“Well, I would say four or five months according to your HCG levels in you blood, but we won’t know for sure until we do an ultrasound.”

“Ok, what about her Mirena and the treatment for the clots?” Chim asked because the two sisters were sitting in shock.

“We’ll remove the Mirena, they’ll be no risks to the fetus and it’s safe for her to be on blood thinners. Why don’t you grab the father and we’ll get an ultrasound done.” The doctor then left and Maddie looked at Buck before racing out of the room.

“Chim, go after her, I really don’t want her to kill Eddie.” Buck said finally coming out of it.

“Right,” Chim said before racing out of the room to follow Maddie out into the waiting room. Buck placed a hand on her belly, now that she knew she couldn’t believe she didn’t connect it all in her head.

***With Eddie***

Eddie was sitting beside Bobby trying to calm down his racing thoughts. It hasn’t been that long since Shannon died, and he was filled with anxiety about the what if’s in Buck’s case. Maddie’s voice cut him out of his thoughts.

“Edmundo Diaz!” she sounded pissed and he had been at the wrong end of angry sisters before and he was not eager to be there again.

“Is Buck okay, Maddie?” Bobby asked trying to calm her down. Maddie ignored Bobby, her focus locked on Eddie.

“Maddie?” Eddie asked.

“I know you two were being careful but you still got her pregnant!”

“Buck’s pregnant?” the team asked together. Eddie was frozen, fear filling in the pit of his stomach.

“What?” he whispered.

“Despite the precautions you have used, you got her pregnant.” Maddie said.

“Oh dios.” He whispered. “I need to go see her.”

“Yeah, you do. They are about to find out how far along she is.” Maddie said with a small smile.

“Wait, how long have ya’ll been together?” Hen asked totally perplexed.

“Like five months.” Eddie whispered.

“Well, shit.” Hen whispered.

“Go on Eddie, I’m sure Buck wants her by her side.” Bobby said.

“Right…” Eddie muttered as he followed Maddie to Buck’s room.

Buck was lying with the top half of the bed up. She was wearing a hospital gown and a nasal canula wrapped around her face. She smiled but the smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. She held a hand out for him while one was on her belly, which now that he looked closer, he could see a slight bump visible there. He grabbed her hand and sat on the edge of the bed and kissed her sweetly.

“How are you feeling, cariño?” he asked quietly.

“In shock, we’ve been so careful.”

“I just can’t believe this happened, again.” Eddie said with a sigh.

“Christopher?”

“You just have some really determined swimmers then, Eds.” She said with a laugh.

“It would seem so. What else did the doctor say, mi amor?”

“Just that I did have a pulmonary embolism and a couple of other clots in my leg, and I’m also anemic. I just thought I pulled a muscle or something, not blood clots this long after surgery.” Eddie sighed heavily and placed a kiss near her birthmark.

“Will it be safe for you to be on blood thinners while pregnant?”

“I don’t know, just put it on the list of questions we have for the doctor. They need to remove my Mirena, it can cause some problems I guess, and then do more blood work and then an ultrasound, but he’s guessing I’m like four or five months along already. I didn’t notice at all, I just thought I had gained weight, but I can see it now.” Eddie chuckled because she was rambling, that meant she was really nervous.

“There’s no need to be nervous, I’ll be here every step of the way.”

“How do you think Christopher will take it?”

“I think he’ll be thrilled. I’m not going to run this time. With Christopher we were young and unprepared which is why I joined the army. Now will be different.”

“You better not run off.” Maddie warned from her corner of the room which caused the both of them to jump, as they forgot she was there.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.” Eddie said confidently.

“Good,” Maddie said.

They were interrupted from their talk as a knock on the door came. A new doctor came in with a technician in tow with an ultrasound machine. The new doctor was a kind looking woman with a warm smile.

“I’m Dr. Campbell, I’m going to be your OB/GYN for your pregnancy. First thing is first, let’s find out how far along you are then we’ll go ahead and remove your Mirena. From there I’ll answer any questions you may have.” Dr. Campbell said.

Buck smiled nervously at her doctor as they got her set up. Soon she was lying back down a blanket covering her bottom half and her gown up just above her naval. Eddie was squeezing her hand comfortingly in silent support, but Buck could tell that he was nervous.

“I’m sorry in advance, the gel may be cold.” The doctor said before she squeezed the gel onto her lower abdomen. Buck jumped a bit at the cold gel hitting her stomach.

Maddie, Eddie and Buck watched in amazement at the image of a baby formed on the screen. The baby was morning around and kicking its little legs. Tears formed in Buck’s eyes as she watched her little baby move.

“Wow, how come I can’t feel the baby moving?” Buck asked.

“Because your little one isn’t strong enough yet, give it time you’ll be able to. Now it looks like your baby is measuring about 17 weeks.”

“Oh my god, you got it from the very first time, Eddie.” Buck said with a laugh. The doctor laughed and looked at the screen.

“Well, everything looks good. It’s a bit too soon to find out the gender. So, in a couple of weeks we’ll do another scan and you can find out the gender.” The technician printed out a few pictures and handed them to Buck and Eddie. “Do you guys have any questions?”

“What about the blood thinners, is it okay to be on them while pregnant?” Eddie asked for Buck who was staring at the picture lovingly.

“It’ll be fine, it’s common for women to be put on blood thinners while pregnant.”

“What about work? I just got my recertification.” Buck asked looking up.

“What do you do for a living?” the doctor asked.

“Um, I’m a firefighter. I know I won’t be able to work like I planned, but what can I do?”

“Well, obviously you’re not able to do the normal calls I’d recommend light duty until the baby is born.” Buck pouted but she knew it was going to be something like that.

“I figured,” she sighed.

“Hey, it won’t be forever, you won’t be out of firefighting forever, mi amor.” Eddie said comfortingly.

“Now, let’s get your Mirena removed. I want you to stay here until we’re sure you and the baby are alright after we remove it.”

“Can it cause complications?” Eddie asked worriedly.

“Not normally, no, but it never hursts to be cautious.” Dr. Campbell said. “As we are doing that we’re going to do a couple of swabs to run some tests then draw some blood.”

“Sounds good.” Buck said.

Maddie gave Buck a kiss and left the room so the doctor could do the tests and remove the Mirena. Eddie gripped her hand as they pulled it out and did the other necessary tests. Once done they fitted compression stockings on her legs to help with her circulation and the clots.

“Alright, we want you walking around as much as possible.” Dr. Campbell said.

“Got it doc, thanks.” Buck said with a smile.

“And we’ll schedule your next appointment. After that we’ll go from there.”

“Alright, thanks Dr. Campbell.” Eddie said with a small smile. Dr. Campbell left the room with a smile.

“This is insane.” Buck finally said after a few seconds of silence.

“It really is.” Eddie said with a small grin. He and Buck had their hands on her small baby bump.

“Shouldn’t I be bigger, though, at 17 weeks?” she asked.

“Every pregnancy is different, mi amor. You are very fit, so you probably won’t show much until later.” Eddie said as he kissed her. “I’m sure the others are dying to come and see you. I’ll go get Christopher and bring you some fresh clothes, alright.”

“Sounds good, babe. I love you.” Buck said as they kissed.

“I love you too, mi amor. Bobby, Hen, Athena and Chim will be in to see you soon.”

“Alright,” Eddie kissed her again and left the room. It didn’t take long before she was smiling as the others entered the room. Hen and Athena were right by her side giving her a hug.

“How are you doing, Buckaroo? You scared the hell out of us.” Hen said.

“I’m beginning to think you are a very accident prone.” Athena said with a small smile as Buck laughed.

“I’m beginning to think so too, but I’m doing good. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. We had no idea about the baby, you have to know that.” Buck said as he looked at her friends and family.

“We know that Buck. You wouldn’t have pushed so hard to get recertification.” Bobby said with a small smile.

“I’m gonna have to do light duty.”

“Yeah, maybe we can swing it so you can be at the station while doing Fire Marshall duties.” Bobby said.

“It would probably ease everyone’s mind, especially Eddies.” Buck said with a laugh.

“I still can’t believe you hid all this from me, I know Bobby and Chim know but did you know Athena?” Hen asked.

“Yeah, I had a vague idea. Plus, I saw them on a date one night.” Athena said with a laugh. 

“What when?” Buck asked wide eyed.

“When you guys were dancing, it was very sweet.” Buck blushed brightly as the others laughed.

“At least you didn’t find out how I found out.” Chim said. Buck blushed brighter as she thought about when Chim and Maddie pretty much walked in on them.

“How did you find out, Chim?” Hen asked.

“Maddie and I went over to Buck’s apartment two weeks after she came home from the hospital. Lo and behold her and Eddie were in the shower together.” Buck was bright red as her family laughed loudly.

Pretty soon Hen, Chim and Athena left leaving Bobby and Buck alone. Bobby was staring at the ultrasound in his hand that Buck handed him. Buck studied his face trying to gage a reaction out of her pseudo-father.

“Hey Bobby, what’s on your mind, want to help me up so we can go for a walk?” she asked to get his attention.

“I’m fine, Buck. Just thinking, you know I had a feeling you were pregnant.” Bobby said as he helped her out of the bed so they could walk around the unit.

“What do you mean you knew?” Buck asked as they took a lap around the unit.

“You may not have shown any of the traditional symptoms, but you were pale and tired a lot. Marcy was the same way when she was pregnant each time.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I just thought you were waiting to get through the first trimester.” Bobby said with a shrug.

“Well, we didn’t know, totally unplanned, apparently this little one was really meant to be.” She said with a chuckle.

“I’m sure you and Eddie will love it regardless.”

“Of course, it just is so sudden, but I’m already almost half way there, it’s crazy.”

“Don’t worry too much, alright Buck, I’m sure Athena, Hen and your sister will plan a nice party.”

“God, don’t remind me, we’re gonna have to catch up on everything.”

“Don’t worry about it, you have plenty of time. Just don’t sign up for yoga towards the end and on a full moon.” Bobby said with a laugh.

“I don’t think I want to do that, knowing my luck I’ll be just like that one girl that had to have a c-section.” Buck said with a laugh.

They took another lap around the unit when Eddie came back with Christopher and Carla in tow. Eddie greeted her with a smile and a kiss before Christopher practically jumped on her. Laughing at the overactive boy she gave him a hug and a kiss on the top of his head.

“Are you okay now, Bucky? You scared me when you passed out.” Christopher asked.

“Yeah, superman, I’m fine now. I didn’t mean to scare you.” She shared a look with Eddie asking nonverbally if he told Christopher. Eddie shook his head with a small smile, and he sat down on the bed with Buck and Christopher.

“We wanted to talk to you about something, Christopher.” Eddie started as Chris looked at him.

“What about?” he asked.

“Do you remember a couple of months ago when you talked about us giving you a sibling?” Christopher nodded his head with a big smile on his face.

“Am I getting a sibling? When will it get here? Is it a boy or girl?” Chris asked firing off each question super-fast.

“Yeah, you are bud, it’s still a little too early to tell if it’s a boy or girl, though.” Buck said with a smile as she rubbed her small bump.

“What do you mean?” he asked, confusion written on his face.

“Well, the baby is in my belly, see this little bump?” Christopher as he took in the small bump. “The baby is in this bump and is about the size of a pomegranate.”

“Wow.” Breathed Christopher as he looked up at both Eddie and Buck. “Can I touch you belly? Can it hear me if I talk to it?”

“Yes, mijo, it can hear you. Though you won’t be able to feel it move for a little while yet.” Eddie said with a wide smile.

Christopher gently placed his hand on the small bump on Buck’s belly. He started to talk about how he is going to be the best big brother and how he is going to tach the baby everything he knows. Buck shared a watery smile with Eddie as they sat together on that hospital bed, with not a care in the world. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to give Buck my pregnancy and birth experience, from here on anyway. I'm undecided on the gender of the baby. Please review on your thoughts on what the baby should be and I hope you guys enjoy


	5. Chapter 5

It was a few weeks later and Buck and Eddie were getting used to the fact that they were expecting a baby. She even began experiencing butterfly like movements, Christopher got so excited when Buck felt them the first time, but his smile fell when they explained that he and Eddie couldn’t feel it yet. Thankfully, she didn’t have any morning sickness, but certain smells were getting to ger, like the smell of brewing coffee much to Eddie’s displeasure. Poor Eddie had to wait until he got to work in order to have coffee. The anatomy scan was in the middle of the day, so Eddie would go to work and when it was getting close Buck would go and pick him up.

“What’s wrong, mi amor?” Eddie asked as he wrapped his arms around her waist, his hands cradling her stomach.

“Just thinking about how far behind we are. I mean everything I’ve read some women are already getting their nurseries ready, we’ve barely got me all moved in, not to mention we haven’t cleared out the guest bedroom to change it to the nursery.” Buck said rambling on. Eddie turned her so they were face to face.

“Hey, there’s not a set time frame to have the nursery done. We have plenty of time. The guest room is pretty much cleared out we just have to get rid of the bed. So, stop stressing, it’s not good for you or the baby.” Eddie said with a smile as he gave her a sweet kiss.

“I know, I know. Did you talk to your parents?” she asked him.

“Nice deflection, mi amor.” They chuckled together. “But, yes, we talked last night. They seem surprised and they are flying out in a week. I guess they want to meet you officially.” He said with a shrug. Buck got a confused look on her face.

“But I’ve already met them.” She pointed out.

“I know, but it was at my induction ceremony, in front of the rest of the team. I guess they want to meet you without having to put on appearances.” He said with a shrug. “What about your parents?”

“I don’t talk to them; I haven’t seen them since I left home. Haven’t even talk to them really unless you count when I called when Maddie killed Doug. Other than that, I haven’t talked to them.”

“Do you think they would want to know?” he asked her, his voice filled with concern.

“Maybe, but they don’t care, they’ve never really care about me. They pretty much ignored me my entire life.”

“Alright, so we don’t tell them.” He relented as he saw the haunted look in her eyes.

“But, knowing my sister she probably already told them. She has a semi better relationship with them even though they pretty much stopped talking to her when she ran off with Doug.”

“Wow, and I thought my parents were bad. Oh, about my parents, they like to be very controlling so don’t be surprised if they start telling you what to do.”

“Seriously? No wonder you ran.”

“Part of the reason why Shannon and I didn’t work as well, and the reason I joined the military.”

“Wow, I think that we need to start a club or something.” Buck said with a laugh.

“Yeah, maybe. So, are you excited about finding out the gender today? Any thoughts of names?” Eddie asked to change the conversation.

“Honestly, I don’t care, but I kinda like the idea that this baby has the same initials as Chris.”

“You want that?”

“Yeah, both of our names start with E so it would make sense for Chris to share his initials with the baby.”

“Alright, we’ll take a look at some names.” Eddie said kissing her gently again, breaking apart as soon as Christopher made his way into the dining room for breakfast.

“Good morning dad, Buck and peanut.” Christopher had come to call the baby peanut as they don’t know the gender yet. Christopher hugged Buck’s belly and kissed it.

“Are you ready for today, superman?” Buck asked as she placed a plate of pancakes, eggs, and bacon in front of him. They had promised him that he could come with to the ultrasound appointment today.

“Very, what’s it gonna be like?” Chris asked.

“Kinda boring until we get to see the pictures. But you and your dad will just be sitting beside me, I’ll be on the bed and the technician will put this gel on my bump and she’ll use this wand that allows them to look inside of me, so they’ll be able to see the baby.”

“That’s so cool.” Christopher breathed.

“Yeah, and after we’ve found out we can put together a party or we can make a bet with our family and friends on the gender.” Eddie said as he checked his watch. “Now, I’ve got to get to work. I’ll be so happy when the smell of coffee doesn’t make you sick.” Buck chuckled as Eddie pressed a kissed to Buck’s cheek.

“Trust me, I wish I could have a cup as well, but peanut doesn’t like it.” Buck said placing a hand on her bump. She looked over at Eddie with a slight smile. “Have a good shift, we’ll see you in a couple of hours.”

“Hopefully, it’s an easy day.” Eddie said before Buck gave him a look.

“That’s just asking for trouble, babe. Bite your tongue.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Have fun and drive safe.” Eddie kissed her, the bump and Christopher and headed out the door.

“So, Superman, what do you want to do for the next couple of hours before the appointment?”

“Can we go to the pier? I want to ride the Ferris Wheel.”

“That’s probably the only thing I can ride, bud. Get your shoes on.” Buck said with a laugh.

Soon they left the house and headed to the pier. They played a couple of games, got a picture taken at one of those booths and ate some cotton candy. They finally made it to the Ferris Wheel. They were right near the top when it stopped.

“Check out this view, bud.” Buck said as she pulled out her phone to take a picture of the two of them. She sent it to Eddie, and they looked out on the water.

“Buck, where did all the water go?” Chris asked as they watched the water recede. Buck couldn’t answer as she watched horror struck as a freaking tsunami was barreling their way.

She gathered Christopher in her lap and grasped the middle column of their car. Chris buried his face in her chest as the Ferris Wheel got slammed with the force of the wave. Buck’s head slammed against the column, she hissed in pain but knew she was okay, but she’ll have a nasty bruise thanks to the blood thinners.

“Chris, are you okay? Are you hurt?” she asked him as she checked him over.

“I’m okay Bucky, are you okay? Is the baby okay?” Buck couldn’t help but chuckle, whether Eddie admitted it or not, Chris was just as protective as he was.

“I’m fine, we’re fine, superman. Your dad is going to flip when he finds out.” She said with a sigh as all of the passengers that were above the water started screaming and crying.

“Is daddy going to come get us?” Chris asked as he looked out over the water.

“I’m sure of it, I’m gonna try and call him. Get him and the rest of the crew here. God, I’m never gonna live this down.” She said as she rubbed her bump.

“We’re going to miss the appointment.” Chris said with a pout, he was really looking forward to seeing his tiny sibling.

“Yeah, we probably are, bud, but that’s okay, we can always reschedule the appointment. Your dad and I will make sure you’ll be there for that.” Chris smiled as Buck pulled out her phone. There was no service, the wave must have taken out the nearby cell tower. “Well, superman, it’ll be a little while longer.” Christopher nodded as they started to play I-spy.

“LAFD! Is everyone okay?” a lone female voice called. The owner of the voice wasn’t known to Buck, but it brought hope.

“For the most part.” Buck called back.

The woman had dirty blond hair tied into a loose braid. She made her way into their car. She saw her belly then the bruise forming on her forehead. Recognition formed on her face.

“You’re the firefighter that got pinned by the ladder truck.” She blurted out.

“Yeah, I am, Evan Buckley of the 118, everyone calls me Buck. Are you okay?” Buck asked as she took in the wet and rugged state of the firefighter.

“I’m alright. Lena Bosko of the 136. We were on the pier when the wave hit. Got separated from the crew. One hell of a spin cycle.” She nodded at Buck’s forehead. “That’s a hell of a bruise, mind if I check you over?”

“Go for it, I’m on blood thinners, so it probably looks worse than it actually is.” Buck said as Lena gently prodded the area around the bruise for any possible fractures. Lena checked her pockets for a penlight, her gaze fell on Chris who smiled shyly at her.

“I’ve lost my penlight. Hey little man, are you doing alright? Did your mama protect you?” Bosko asked. Buck opened her mouth to correct her, but Chris beat her to the punch.

“I’m fine, mama protected me.” His gaze flicked to Buck; whose heart seemed to stutter at being called Mama.

“Good, Buck? Is the baby okay? How far along are you?”

“Um, yeah, I’m 19 weeks now. Baby is fine, I can feel it moving around.”

“Good, I’m going to go and check the other passenger cars okay. I see some help coming already. Hey bud, make sure you keep an eye out on your mom, okay.” Christopher nodded and Bosko climbed out of their car and into another car.

“Buck, are you sad?” Christopher asked. That’s when Buck realized that she had tears rolling down her face.

“I’m fine, superman, you’ve just surprised me by calling me mama. It just made me really happy but sad at the same time.”

“My mom is gone, but I have you and you’re already like my mom.” More tears fell down her face at those words and hugged the little boy to her.

“You can if you want to, but maybe we should talk to your dad first, alright. You’ve only just lost your mom.” Christopher nodded and watched the zodiac’s get closer.

“Do you think that Dad is on one those?” he asked as he pointed at the boats heading their way.

“Maybe bud, but there are a lot of firehouses in the city. So who knows, but we can hope.

They watched as the zodiacs were at the base. Buck had a smile on her face, from her vantage point she could tell that Eddie and Bobby were there. Before she could say anything, she saw Lena lean over the edge of her car to shout down at them.

“Hey, could use some help up here!” Bosko shouted down.

Buck looks over the edge as Eddie locks eyes on her. She smiles as Eddie’s eyes widen almost comically. He said something to Bobby who looked up as well, his eyes almost as wide and comical. Bobby nodded and Eddie geared up to start climbing up the Ferris Wheel. Eddie stopped at the car where Bosko was before heading up to their car.

“Oh Dios mío, what are you guys doing here? Are you three alright? That looks nasty.” Eddie said rambling on, his fingers gently brushing over the bruise.

“I wanted to come her to ride the Ferris Wheel.” Chris said.

“We just didn’t think a tsunami would happen while riding the Ferris Wheel.”

“Thank god you were. Now, look at me. How did you hit your head?” he asked shining a light in her eyes.

“She hit it protecting me, huh, Bucky?” Buck gave him a big smile.

“My head wacked the column when I braced us for the impact. I think the bruise is mostly due to the blood thinners.”

“Yeah, probably. Let’s get the two of you down. Mijo, you did good looking after Buck. You’re going to be a great big brother.” Eddie said giving Christopher a smile and a kiss.

“Get superman down first then I’ll go down.” Eddie gave her a kiss before putting the harness around Christopher.

“What about Buck?” Chris asked as Eddie finished putting the harness on.

“I’ll be right behind you, bud, then your dad will be down as soon as he helps everyone else on the ride, ok.” Christopher nodded before hugging her. Eddie gave her a smile before he lowered Chris down before watching Buck put the harness on.

“Damn, how do I even do this without hurting the baby?” she asked as she tightened the straps around her hips.

“Just don’t tighten it too tight, alright.” Buck nodded as she climbed over the rail.

“Lowering Buck now, cap.” Eddie said into the radio.

“Copy, Chris landed safely.” Bobby replied.

Eddie gave her a kiss and lowered her down from the Ferris Wheel. Wind blew through her hair as she was lowered down, feeling free. She was really missing her job now, but she knew that she couldn’t without endangering the little life within. As much as she wanted to help, she had to fight the instincts. She landed in the boat with a smile as Bobby helped her out of the harness.

“You good, Buck?” Bobby asked as he took stock of her injuries.

“I’m fine, pops.” Buck said with a grin as Bobby smiled giving her a hug.

“Hey cap, we can get one down with the harness but the other is a possible spinal. We’re gonna need a hail Mary.” Eddie yelled from the top.

“I’ll order one up.” Bobby yelled then picked up his radio. “Coast Guard, Coast Guard. This is Captain Nash LAFD. We need a miracle at the pier. We need one quick.” Bobby said through the radio. A couple of rescue workers sent up a backboard so they could secure the patient.

A helicopter came in and they were able to get the got out safely. The girl that was with him was lowered down to an awaiting boat. Bobby stood up as the water started changing direction bringing with it debris.

“Incoming! Debris!” Bobby yelled up.

The Ferris Wheel rocked dangerously as Eddie and Bosko unclipped from the ropes and jumped off the ride and into the water. They swam to the boat and Buck helped to pull Eddie in and Bobby helped Bosko.

“Thank god you three are okay.” Eddie said pulling Buck and Christopher into his arm.

“It was my idea dad, before Bucky’s appointment for the baby.” Christopher said sadly.

“It’s okay, mijo, it’s just Buck’s luck.” Eddie said with a laugh as Buck smacked his arm.

“Wait, she’s not his mom?” Lena asked. Eddie seemed to freeze as he looked from Chris to Buck and back again.

“It’s okay Lena, it happens all the time.” Buck said with a smile.

“What do you mean?” Eddie asked.

“Remember at Christmas when we took Chris to see Santa?”

“Yeah, when I was talking to you about you know who.” He tried to say so Chris didn’t know that Shannon was back soon then he realized.

“Well, after superman here finished up and that elf helped him back to us, she just assumed he was mine as well.”

“Wow,” Eddie said dumbly.

“It definitely won’t be the last time.” Bobby said with a laugh. “It happens when I’m with Buck as well.”

“Yeah, I can see that.” Lena said as she held her side as they made it pretty much to dry land.

“Bosko, all of your crew has been accounted for except for Captain Cooper. He’s still unaccounted for.” Bobby said.

“I need to go search for him.” She said as she held her side protectively.

“Why are you holding your side like that?” he asked.

“Just a bruised rib.” She said dismissively.

“Let me check it out.” Eddie said. Buck handed Chris his crutches as Eddie felt Lena’s ribs, she hissed in pain.

“Yeah, that’s not bruised, it’s broken.” Eddie said.

“Yeah, well breathing isn’t fun.”

“I’m calling it. Eddie, you go with her in case she gets lost on the way. Buck, I’ would feel a lot better if you get checked out as well, for the baby’s safety.”

“Got it, cap.” Buck said rolling her eyes as the four of them climbed into a truck that stopped by them. 

“They are really protective of you.” Lena commented.

“Yeah, well, I don’t really have the best track record when it comes to my health and safety.” Buck said with a chuckle.

“Tell me about it. We only found out she was pregnant a couple of weeks ago because she had a pulmonary embolism after she got her recertification.” Eddie said with a smile.

“Seriously? And you’re already half-way through it already. How did you not know?” Bosko asked a curious look on her face.

“Eddie here has super swimmers that beat protection. I had an IUD, so I didn’t have a monthly and I wasn’t experiencing any of the typical symptoms, just anemia and tired. I didn’t really start showing until like two weeks ago as well.”

“Wow, all of this plus the physical therapy as well?”

“Yeah,”

“Daddy, what are swimmers and an IUD?” Buck shot Eddie an apologetic look. There was really no way to keep it kid friendly.

“Buck and I will explain when you’re older. It’s a grown-up stuff.” Eddie said giving Buck a sadistic grin which only made Buck want him right then and there. Buck took a couple of deep breaths to calm the heat pooling in her abdomen.

They arrived at the VA hospital which had been transformed into a command center. Night was beginning to fall over the city and yet all she could hear were screams, crying and sirens coming from all directions. She and Christopher were walking behind Eddie and Bosko as she pulled out her phone. She finally had service and she spotted a bathroom.

“Finally!” she yelled before rushing over to the port-a-potty set up.

“Buck, are you alright?” Eddie asked as they followed her.

“I really have to pee, Eds! Your spawn has been pressing down on my bladder for the past hour now.” She yelled as she closed the door to relieve herself. When she finished, she came out to see amused faces on Eddie and Lena.

“Come on, let’s go get you guys checked out.” Eddie said with a shake of his head.

They walked over to see a nurse with a clipboard tittering about the patients under the canopies. When she saw them, she walked over with an exhausted look on her face.

“Can I get your names so I can put you on the list?” she asked.

“There’s a list?” Bosko asked taking the clipboard so she could flip through it herself. Eddie snatched it back and gave it back to the nurse.

“Bosko, you have to take it easy. I’m Eddie Diaz this is Evan Buckley, Christopher Diaz and Lena Bosko. Can you check both Evan and Lena out? Evan is 19 weeks pregnant and wacked her head and is on blood thinners due to blood clots. And Lena has a couple of broken ribs.

“Alright, head on in.”

“Wait, do you have a Ronnie Cooper on the list? Captain of LAFD company 136.” The nurse looked though the papers before shaking her head.

“I’m sorry, I don’t.” the nurse said as she looked up form looking at the list of names. “Go on inside and get them checked out.”

Christopher was right beside Buck, her hand practically on his back as they walked up the steps. Eddie led the way with Lena in-between them, not trusting that she wouldn’t bolt off in search for her missing captain. They made it into the hotel and to a desk in the lobby as they waited for someone so they could be seen. Eddie and Buck watched a little boy with his mother, he was coughing really bad.

“Somethings not right, Eds.” Buck murmured as they watched.

“I know.” He murmured.

“What’s wrong?” Lena asked. The boy started coughing more and having difficulty breathing.

“He’s drowning!” Eddie yelled and raced to his side to pullout a clump of seaweed from his throat. The doctors and nurses gathered around the boy to take him to get an x-ray done.

“Are you a paramedic?” a doctor asked.

“No, but I was a medic in the service.” Eddie replied.

“Do you mind sticking around, we’re kinda short staffed.”

“I was planning on it; I found my pregnant girlfriend and son stuck on the Ferris Wheel. She smacked her head and is on blood thinners. And this one has a couple of broken ribs.”

“Right, once you guys are checked out, you’ll stick around.” Eddie nodded and Bosko was led off to another room and Buck, Eddie and Christopher were led off to another room so Buck could get her head checked.

“Are you sure that you’re okay?” Eddie asked as they waited for an available OB to check on their baby.

“Yes, babe, I’m totally fine just a little bump. You heard the doc, no concussion. I was very lucky, we were very lucky, the next stop was the pier to feed the fish.

“Yeah, dad, that was the next stop, I wanted to feed the fish.” Christopher said.

“Gracias a Dios, that you guys decided to ride the Ferris Wheel first.” Eddie said.

“Yeah,” Buck said kissing Eddie chastely with Christopher giggling beside them. A knock sounded on the door as a doctor entered the room with an ultrasound machine so they could check the baby.

“Hello, Miss Buckley, I’m Dr. Smith, I heard you had a pretty exciting day.” Dr. Smith said.

“Just another day in my life.” Buck said with a wry smile.

“What do you mean?”

“You remember the firefighter that was crushed by a firetruck a few months back?” Eddie asked. The doctor’s eyes widened and looked at her.

“That was you?” Buck nodded. “Yeah, you’ve definitely had an interesting few months. Alright, go ahead and lay back and lift your shirt and we’ll take a look at your baby.”

Buck laid back with Christ and Eddie on either side of her. Her belly button piercing was still in as she had done research saying that it was fine to keep it in. The doctor put some gel on the bump and the wand moved the gel around. An image of the baby appeared on the screen causing Chris to gasp.

“Wow,” he breathed.

“Well, it looks like your baby is measuring well.” The sound of a fast heartbeat filled the room. “It also looks like your baby is in a good position. Do you want to know the gender?” Buck looked over at Eddie and Chris who nodded almost comically.

“Yeah,”

“It looks like you’re having a girl.” Buck gripped Eddie’s hand tightly.

“A girl?” Eddie asked his eyes wide.

“I’m gonna have a little sister?” Chris asked with a big smile on his face.

“You’re gonna be the best big brother, superman.” Buck said brightly as she brought a hand up to rustle his hair.

“I’ll leave you guys to talk.” She wiped off the gel and Buck sat up as the doctor left the room.

“Eddie, are you okay?” Buck asked as Eddie finally smiled and kissed her deeply with Chris giggling widely.

“A girl, Dios, abuela is gonna be ecstatic.” Eddie said.

“How do you want to tell the others?”

“Hmm, do you want to throw a party for them or do you want to keep them in suspense until she’s born?” he asked.

“I say we keep them in suspense. I say we start a bet and we use the money for the diapers and stuff. And the winner gets to hold the baby first.” Eddie and Buck kissed again.

“I love that idea, mi amor. Come on, let’s go and see if Lena hasn’t run off. Do you think you can keep her from running off?”

“I can try, no promises though.” Eddie nodded and the little family walked outside to see Bosko walking over to them.

“How are you feeling?” Buck asked her as Lena still held her side protectively.

“All taped up and gearing to help out find my captain.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“There are a lot of people out there searching for him, Lena.” Buck said.

“And there will be one more.”

Suddenly Athena showed up with blood on her hands and directing several paramedics with a gurney. The man on the gurney had an arm amputated. Eddie and Buck rushed to her side in concern.

“Athena, are you okay?” Eddie asked, his voice filled with concern.

“It’s not my blood, it’s his.” Athena said as she pointed to the gurney. The man on the gurney had a firefighter uniform on.

“Coop!” Lena yelled as she rushed to his side.

“Damn, well at least he is mostly fine.” Buck commented.

“Are you okay, Buckaroo?” Athena asked spotting the bruise.

“I’m fine ‘Thena. It’s worse than it actually is cause of the blood thinners.” Athena nodded as the rest of the 118 showed up with a more wounded.

“Buck, Chris, what the hell are you guys doing here?” Chim asked.

“Well, you know my luck, Chris and I were on the ferris wheel. I’m fine though, just starving now.”

“Well, then let’s all go and get something to eat. We’ve done our job. My treat guys.” Bobby said with a smile. They all got the okay to go. All wounded had been gathered so they left to go and get something to eat, Maddie meeting them before heading home to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

It was a week later, and Buck had to go and supervise a fire drill. She was now 20 weeks and now eggs were beginning to make her sick. She would still make them though for her boys. As they were eating, she flipped her notebook open while looking through baby names.

“Are you making a list?” Eddie asked as he looked over the list of possible names.

“Yeah, what do you think of the name Cassidy?” she asked them both.

“I’m not sure.” Eddie said.

“It doesn’t seem right.” Chris added.

“Really? I think it’s kinda cute. Alright, how about everyone picks two names and we’ll pick the best one.” Buck suggested as she picked up the plates to put them in the sink.

“That’s a great idea.” Eddie said with a kiss to her cheek. “Come on, mijo. Let’s go get ready for school.”

“Okay!” Chris said happily as he made his way to his room to get dressed. Eddie and Buck made their way into their bedroom to get into their uniforms.

“Are you nervous about today?” Eddie asked as he pulled on the LAFD casual shirt. Buck started to button up the white fire marshal top that was loose enough to fit over her small baby bump.

“I think I’m more nervous about your parents coming tomorrow.”

“Dios, me too.” Eddie murmured rubbing a hand over his face.

“Hey, we’re a team, we have each other’s backs.” Buck said as she kissed him deeply.

“Daddy! Buck! We’re going to be late!” Chris called.

“Alright, we’re coming, mijo!” Eddie shouted back as Buck finished putting on her pants.

She followed Eddie out after she slipped on her shoes. She grabbed Chris’ lunch that she packed the night before and handed it to him as they headed out of the house. She kissed the top of Chris’ head as he was getting into the truck. She then turned to Eddi and kissed him again as well.

“Have a good day, mi amor.” Eddie said with a soft smile.

“Hopefully you guys have a pretty good day as well, and who knows, you may see me sooner then you think.” Buck said with a smirk.

“What do you mean, Ev?” he asked as he brushed over the fading bruise on her forehead.

“It’s a surprise, I’m sure Bobby will fill you in when you get to the station.” Buck said with a wink as she climbed into the jeep.

“Buck! What do you mean?” he called as she started the car to pull out of the driveway.

“You’ll see!” she called as she drove off seeing Eddie shake his head with a grin.

A couple of hours later she was at a building for a scheduled fire drill. She had a clipboard in hand, the 144 was already there, the first one to arrive and the 118 had yet to arrive. She knew that she had to be impartial, but it was going to be hard for her. She turned to see the 118 had finally arrive. After about a minute she saw Bobby walking over to her, probably to give an explanation on why they were late to respond.

“There was a stalled bus blocking both directions on Grand. Vehicles couldn’t clear a path, which delayed our arrival.” Bobby explained as Buck had a smile on her face.

“And yet the 144 managed a response time in under six minutes. That’s a full 17 minutes ahead of the 118.” She said as she cradled her bump as they walked through the lobby.

“The 144 is five blocks away.”

“I hear you, Bobby, I do, and I wanna help. I gotta be impartial here, you know? Look if I’m gonna do this kind of light duty until the baby is born I gotta take it seriously, gotta be strictly by the book, just how you would want me to be.”

“For what its worth I’m proud of you. I’m glad that you are protecting yourself and the baby. We can’t wait until the baby is here. Are you and Eddie ever going to tell us the gender?”

“Nice deflection cap, but year you will when peanut is born.” She said with a grin.

“You’re enjoying this way too much.” Bobby said walking away.

“Be careful not to logjam the stairwell.” She called with a grin.

Buck watched as her team was following orders, bringing in equipment. She caught Eddie’s eyes and gave him a wink with a grin. Eddie shook his head with a grin as he walked past. Chim and Hen walked past, Chim had a hose wrapped around his shoulder.

“This is a fake fire. Why can’t we use fake hoses? Hey Buck, how are we doing?” Chim asked as they passed.

“You don’t wanna know.” Buck said with a grin.

Suddenly there was screaming coming from the stairwell. All the workers in the building were falling over each other in the stairwell. All the firefighters rushed over to help and assess any injuries that may have occurred. Buck took a deep breath and looked at Bobby as she checked something on her clipboard. She watched they worked to clear the stairway. Turned out it had started because a guy suffered an epileptic seizure due to the strobing lights of the fire alarms.

“Well, it’s a good thing that this wasn’t an actual five-alarm fire.” Buck said as she and Bobby walked together. “Probably doesn’t help that you’re a man down. You know I’ll be sure to mention that in my report.”

“Thanks, Buck. You coming by the station later for lunch?”

“For your cooking? Always pops.” Buck responded with a grin as they parted ways.

After she finished her paperwork on both the 144 and the 118, she dropped off both reports. First Buck stopped at the 144 first before going to the 118. Walking through those doors she felt at home. Eddie spotted her first and gave her a big smile as they approached and embraced each other. They kissed as he placed a hand on her bump, Buck was the only one who could still feel the butterfly like movements.

“You knew about the fire drill the whole time, didn’t you cariño?” he asked in her ear.

“Of course, I did, but I was told to keep it a secret.” Buck looked around and she spotted Lena Bosko, before she could greet her Bobby, Hen, and Chim came up to them.

“You’re turning in the report already? Is that a good or bad sign?” Bobby asked as he spotted the file in her hand.

“Nah, it’s good. You passed, I may have fudged the numbers, m got fancy with the math.” Buck quipped with a grin.

“You’re not good at math.” Eddie said with a smile.

“And that will be my excuse if they ask, or maybe I can blame it on pregnancy brain.” The group laughed as she turned to Lena. “Hey Lena, how are your ribs doing?” Buck asks as Lena came over to join the group.

“Pretty much on the mend, taking it easy.” Lena replied then looked at the bump. “How’s the baby? You guys gonna ever tell us the gender?”

“Baby’s good, and we’ll talk about that over lunch. What are you doing here, not that its not good to see you?” Buck asked.

“I’ve brought her over temporarily while her station is getting repaired.” Bobby said with a tight grin, probably hoping not to set off Buck since she is basically swimming in hormones right now. They all walked up the stairs to eat before the alarm went off again.

“That’s awesome Lena! At least you’re not out of work while the 136 is getting repaired.” Buck said with a grin then got serious as they sat down around the table. “Did anyone else get a call from that lawyer? I think someone is looking at suing the building.”

“Well, he was passing out cards like candy.” Hen said.

“Eddie, aren’t your parents coming this week?” Chim asked.

“Tomorrow, don’t remind us, Buck has been stress cleaning. Thankfully, they can’t stay with us as we’ve converted the guest room into the baby’s room.” Eddie said as he rubbed Buck’s lower back. 

“Buck has been stress cleaning? That’s not something you see every day.” Hen said as she tried to get Buck to laugh, which worked.

“Speaking of the baby, when will we know the gender?” Bobby asked. The couple shared a look and smiled.

“Well, you guys won’t know until the baby is born. We want to start a bet, the winner will be the first one to hold the baby, after us of course.” Buck said as they ate.

“We know how much you guys like to place bets.” Eddie said with a laugh.

“That sounds like a good idea.” Bobby said with a grin.

“So, wait, the winner just gets to hold the baby? No money?” Chim asked.

“They’ll be money. It’ll be the diaper money for us.” Eddie said.

“I like this idea.” Lean said just as the bell rang.

“We gotta go. Drive safe.” Eddie said giving her a quick kiss before running towards the trucks.

Buck watched as the team drove off, jealousy was building in the pit of her stomach. She shakes her head and turned and set about to clean up after lunch. Once the kitchen was done, she went and laid down on the couch. It was a peaceful sleep, but she wished that Eddie was with her to hold and cuddle her. Her eyes opened slowly as someone draped a blanket over her.

“I didn’t mean to wake you, cariño.” Eddie whispered.

“Hmm, it’s fine, babe. Did you guys just get back?” she asked.

“Yeah, it was a pretty crazy call.” He said.

“Yeah? A rope rescue?” Buck mumbled as she stretched and sat up.

“Don’t worry, I had his back, Buck.” Lena said from the armchair next to the couch.

“What happened?” Buck asked.

“A mother and her two sons were driving, and they stopped on the shoulder, while stopped they tumbled off the side of the road. It was really close.” Chim said from the table behind Buck.

“What time is it?” Buck asked as she stood and stretched her back.

“Almost 4.” Bobby said from the kitchen.

“Shit, I gotta go. That lawyer wants me at his office at 5.” Bucks said with a frown.

“Alright, you and Eddie are invited for dinner tonight, Buck. Drive safe.” Bobby said.

“Will do. See you guys later. Bye, babe.” She said as she gave Eddie a kiss as she left.

Buck made it to the office building in 45 minutes thanks to the LA traffic. She made her way up and found the office. She was directed to Mackey’s office; he was sitting behind his desk but stood when she entered the room.

“Thanks for coming Miss Buckley.” Mackey said as he shook her hand.

“You had some questions about the fire drill?” Buck asked as she sat down opposite of Mackey.

“Yes, do you agree that there was some negligence during this fire drill?” he asked straight to the point.

“Nah, I wouldn’t agree with that, no.” she said with a scoff.

“Your after-action report says that LAFD exceeded the evacuation time requirement by 12 minutes.”

“That’s actually pretty decent time for clearing a 35-story building. Look, all your questions seem to be about the department. I thought your client was suing the building.”

“Clients, 42 injured people the LAFD failed to protect. This is a class action against the city, on all their behalf’s.”

“You’re suing the city?”

“Hmm-mmm”

“And you think I’m going to help you with that?”

“I looked into you. I know about the accident, that you’re on blood thinners. I’m surprised you haven’t been fighting to return to full duty.”

“You think I’m not fighting? For your information, the blood thinners are not the only reason I’m on light duty. I chose it as I’m five months pregnant, and my profession isn’t exactly safe for pregnant women to do. You know the city you’re trying to make look bad is not some corporation. Those city employees, those firefighters that you can’t wait to smear, are heroes. And they have my back, good luck to you, hope you lose.” With that Buck left the office, cradling her baby bump, as she made her way to the jeep.

Buck made it home in time just as Eddie got home. Carla’s car was still there, which meant that they hadn’t left to go to the park, or they had just gotten home. Buck was in a sour mood thanks to her meeting with Mackey. It must have shown on her face because Eddie had a worried look on his.

“I take it that the meeting didn’t go well, Ev.” Eddie stated. Buck scoffed as they walked into the house together.

“Hardly, that…. that bloodsucking lawyer thought I would help sue the city.” Buck said fuming.

“Why would he think that you would help? That’s insane!”

“He thought I was a disgruntled employee because I’m on blood thinners and light duty. Babe, he knew about the blood thinners but not about the baby. So, I kind of chewed him off.”

“Good to hear, probably deserved it too.”

“Daddy! Buck! You’re home!” Chris yelled out happily as he moved as fast as he could to greet them.

“Superman! I missed you!” Buck greeted with a big smile, her mood lightening already. They hugged and Chris kissed the bump.

“Hey mijo, we’re going over to Bobby and Athena’s for dinner. You will be able to hang out with Harry.” Eddie said.

“Yay! Harry and I can play games!”

“Alright bud, remember we’re keeping the gender of your little sister a secret. So just call her peanut, alright.” Buck said. Then her eyes went wide as she looked at Carla who was smiling widely.

“Nice going, cariño.” Eddie said with a chuckle.

“Don’t you worry, Buckaroo. I’ll keep it quiet.” Carla promised before giving her a hug before leaving. Buck turned to Eddie with a sheepish look on her face.

“Sorry babe, I totally forgot that she was still here.” Buck said rubbing the back of her neck.

“It’s alright, mi amor. You’re pregnant, your mind is allowed to wonder.” He said and then turned to Christopher. “Alright mijo, go get your shoes on and we’ll head over to Bobby and Athena’s.”

“Alright,” Chris nodded and went over to get his shoes on.

Once Christopher got his shoes on, they left the house in Eddie’s truck. The drive over to their captain’s house was very quick, very little traffic. They pulled into the driveway with plenty of time before they were supposed to be there. They knocked on the door and Athena opened it with a wide smile, Athena then gave Buck a hug.

“Buckaroo, you’re glowing already. May I?” Athena asked so she could feel her belly.

“Of course,” Buck said with a wide smile. Athena placed her hand on her small bump and had a smile on her face as well.

“Have you felt the baby moving yet?” she asked as they headed down into the living room.

“Yes, but it’s not strong enough so Eddie and Chris can feel it yet.” Buck said with a smile as she rubbed her belly.

“You probably will in the next few weeks. And then Eddie won’t be able to sleep cause he’s getting kicked in the back all night long.” Bobby said with a smile as he hugged the two.

“Chris! You’re here!” Harry called as he came running into the living room.

“Harry!” the two bumped fists as it was the easiest with Chris’ crutches.

“Alright boys, dinner will be done in about a half-hour, you can play one round of whatever game you pick.” Athena said with a strict tone in her voice.

“Yes, mom.”

“Yes, Mrs. Nash.”

They boys rushed off to Harry’s room to play a game while Bobby finished dinner. Eddie, Buck, and Athena were at the table setting it. Buck and Eddie sat at the table as Eddie went to get drinks.

“So, what do I hear about a bet on the gender of the baby?” Athena asked.

“Yeah, we know the gender, also know how much our family likes to place bets. So, we figured who ever guesses the gender, weight, and length gets to hold peanut first.” Buck said as Eddie handed her a glass of tea.

“And you guys keep the money for the baby.” She stated.

“That’s the idea, anyway.” Eddie said sitting beside Buck.

“I like it. I’m in, but I won’t place my full bet right now. But, by the look of your belly I would say boy.” Athena said.

“Why a boy?” Buck asked.

“Some say that if you’re carrying low, you’ll have a boy and high for a girl.” She said.

“Right, but I only just started showing.” Buck said.

“I stand by what I said.” Athena said as she got up to help Bobby in the kitchen.

“Well, one for boy. We should keep a notebook.” Eddie said quietly.

“I have one at home that I’m using for possible names.” Buck said.

“I think I have a name I like, Carina?” he suggested.

“I’m not so sure, kinda reminds me of cariño.” Buck whispered.

“True…” he conceded as he started thinking of other names.

“So, what are you guys thinking of names?” Bobby asked from the kitchen.

“We’re each making a list. We want to do a C name, so it matches with Chris as our names start with the same letter.” Buck said.

“That seems fun.” Athena said.

“Well, dinner is done, Eddie, want to go get the boys. Buck, can you help me bring over the food?” Bobby asked. Buck and Eddie nodded as they split off to do the asked tasks.

They all sat around the table dishing out the chili and the corn bread. Buck was offered the collard greens which she had to deny.

“Sorry Athena, I can’t, not while I’m on blood thinners. There’s too much vitamin K.” Buck said.

“Oh, I did not know that.” Athena said.

“Does that mean I don’t have to eat it?” Harry asked Athena and Bobby.

“Nope, you got to eat it, bud.” Bobby said as he dished some onto Harry’s plate.

“Aw, man…” Harry pouted as he ate silently.

“So, you and Eddie are thinking of names starting with C?” Bobby asked.

“Yeah, so far, we’ve picked a few names, but I don’t really like them.” Buck said.

“I also heard your parents are coming tomorrow, are you nervous?” Athena asked.

“Abuelo and Grandma are coming?” Christopher asked wide eyed.

“Yeah, mijo. They want to officially meet Buck.” Eddie said.

“I am so nervous, I’ve never had to meet the parents before, except for Abe, but you know his mom had Alzheimer’s, so she didn’t always recognize me.” Buck sighed as she took a deep breath. “I’ve been stress cleaning or nesting or whatever, you know I want to make a good impression.”

“Just be yourself, and I’m sure that you’ll win them over.” Bobby said.

“Hopefully.”

“So, what did that lawyer want?” Buck scoffed angrily at the mention of the lawyer.

“He thought I would help him sue the city. Apparently, it’s a class action lawsuit on behalf of the 42 people who were injured during that fire drill today.”

“Why would he think you would help?” Athena asked.

“I don’t know, but he looked me up, learned I am on blood thinners and thought that was the reason that I was on light duty. So, I kinda let him have it.” Buck said sheepishly.

“That must have been good.” Athena said with a proud smile.

“Oh yeah, I may have lost control of my emotions for a bit.” She said with a laugh.

They finished dinner and headed home. Chris was fast asleep in the back of the truck. Heat was beginning to pool in her again and squeezed Eddie’s hand. He looked over and she gave him a hungry look. He smiled and shook his head.

“Can you wait until we get home?” Eddie asked quietly.

“I guess,” Buck pouted. Eddie chuckled and they finally made it home. 

Eddie carried Chris to his room as Buck went into their room. Eddie got Chris settled in his bed and went to the bedroom as Buck practically jumped him. Eddie chuckled into her mouth and lifted her, so her legs were wrapped around his waist.

“Babe, I need you, like right now.” Buck whimpered into his mouth.

“I’ll take care of you, mi amor.” He said as he carried her to the bed.

They took off each other’s shirts and then worked on shedding the rest of their clothes. Buck was moaning as Eddie trailed his lips lower as he kissed her belly that held their growing child. He lifted his eyes to look into her face. Buck’s face was filled with lust as he worked lower, he took her clit in his mouth and Buck had to cover her mouth to keep form screaming. Eddie smirked as he flipped her over and put her on her knees before entering her from behind. The new position basically enhanced the feeling for Buck that she had to force her head in her arm, so they weren’t too loud. Eddie lifted her up so he could cradle her bump and attached his mouth to the junction of her neck and shoulder. He pumped faster as she almost screamed when they both came together. Eddie lowered her down onto the bed and cuddled her.

“Pregnant sex is the best.” Buck murmured sleepily with a smile on her face.

“You did seem to have enjoyed that a bit more.” Eddie murmured back.

They fell asleep in each other’s arms. Buck slept so soundly that when sunlight started to peak through the blinds she groaned and rushed to the bathroom as the baby was pressing down on her bladder. She grabbed her clothes as she rushed to the bathroom. When she was finished, she jumped in the shower when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist and cradle the baby bump.

“Mmm…good morning, babe.” Buck said as she turned and wrapped her hands around Eddie’s neck.

“What are you doing up so early?” Eddie asked as he kissed her good morning.

“Baby girl was pressing on my very full bladder so then I decided to take a shower.”

“Well, showering together saves water.” He teased as he kissed her again.

“But maybe just a shower, cause I’m starving.”

“Sounds good, mi amor. Plus, my parents will be here this afternoon.”

“Don’t remind me.” She groaned. Eddie laughed as they finished showering, Eddie went over to get Christopher up and ready as Buck got breakfast going.

Buck put the bacon in the oven first before getting started on the waffles and the eggs. The smell was getting to her, but she breathed deeply to keep the nausea at bay. As she moved about the kitchen, she heard the click-clack of Chris’ crutches. Buck looked up with a big smile as she greeted her two boys. Chris came over and hugged her and kissed her bump, which had become the daily ritual.

“Good morning Bucky and peanut.” Chris said with a bright smile.

“Good morning, superman. You ready for some breakfast?”

“Yeah, I’m starving!”

“Good, it’s just about done.”

“Well, it smells good, but I would love a cup of coffee.” Eddie said. Buck turned and gave him a half-hearted glare as Eddie grinned sheepishly.

“Only once I’m out of the kitchen, I’m nauseous enough as it is.”

“Why does the smell of coffee and eggs make you sick?” Chris asked.

“Because your baby sister doesn’t like it.” Buck said simply.

“That sucks.”

“Yeah, it does mijo. I’ll be happy when that is over.” Eddie said as he settled for some apple juice.

“Does anything else make you sick?”

“At the moment, no, bud. But things change a lot when you’re pregnant. I knew this but it still throws me for a loop.”

As they finished eating there was a knock on the door. Buck and Eddie looked at each other wide-eyed, it was barely 10 o’clock in the morning, his parents shouldn’t even be there yet. Eddie gave her comforting smile as he got up to go to the door as Buck cleared the table.

“Mom, Papi, you aren’t supposed to be here yet. We just finished breakfast.” Eddie’s voice said from the door.

“We know the plan was to come over around lunch, but we really couldn’t wait anymore.” His mom said as they walked into the living room. Buck finished putting the dishes in the dishwasher so, she walked out into the living room. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she took in Eddie’s parents.

“Mr. and Mrs. Diaz, it’s nice to see you again.” Buck said with a charming smile as she held out her hand. Neither of Eddie’s moved to shake her hand which caused Eddie to glare at them.

“We wish that we could say the same, Evan.” Mr. Diaz said, his voice filled with disdain as the both of them glared at her bump.

“Hey Christopher, why don’t you go play in your room while we talk.” Eddie said as Chris looked between the four adults. Chris nodded and made his way to the bedroom while the four of them glared at each other. Once they heard the door closed, they immediately started in on Buck and Eddie.

“Edmundo, what were you thinking? How could you let this happen again?” Mrs. Diaz asked. Buck turned and glared at the two.

“You realize that we didn’t expect this to happen, right?” Buck snapped at the two.

“What do you mean?” Mr. Diaz asked.

“What I mean is that I had the Mirena and we used a condom.” Buck snapped.

“Exactly, we were careful.” Eddie said glaring at his parents.

“So, how did you get pregnant?” Mrs. Diaz asked.

“Simple, Eddie has super sperm.” Buck said with a smirk. Eddie chuckled but his parents said nothing, just glared at them.

“Well, this is still too soon, Eddie. Unless you two were already seeing each other.” Mrs. Diaz said as she glared.

“I didn’t cheat on Shannon!” Eddie snapped.

“Then when did this happen?” Mr. Diaz asked sharply.

“After my induction ceremony.” Eddie said simply.

“How far along are you?” Mrs. Diaz asked sharply.

“I’m 20 weeks, now.” Buck said as she placed a hand on her bump.

“Well, you don’t look it.” Mrs. Diaz snapped.

“We didn’t know until three weeks ago. I told you that.” Eddie said exasperated.

“Why do you keep choosing badly?” Mrs. Diaz asked sharply.

“Badly? I fell in love with my best friend. She has my back and I have hers. We’re a team. That’s why Shannon and I didn’t work. Buck and I were friends first and it grew. We got together because we were both hurting. Me with Shannon dying and Buck with recovering from the truck bombing.”

“That’s right, you had a cast on. Is it safe for you to be pregnant with the rod and screws?” Mr. Diaz asked.

“Of course, it is. I’ve talked to my doctors. It’s safe to be on my medication while pregnant.” Buck said exasperated.

“Whether you like it or not we’re together. This is happening. We’re having a little girl, mom, papi. I don’t care what you think about us, but if you want in your grandchildren’s lives you best get over it. Cause Buck is here to stay. Whether you like it or not.” Eddie snarled as he glared at his parents. 

Buck and Eddie were a united front, standing up to his parents. Mr. and Mrs. Diaz were standing and glaring right back at the two of them. Buck let out a sigh as she shook her head.

“Can I ask what about me that you don’t like? There’s got to be something.” Buck asked the two.

“It’s not that we don’t like you, it’s that we don’t trust you.” Mrs. Diaz said.

“What do you mean?” Eddie asked as Buck and he shared a look.

“Shannon left you, who’s to say Evan won’t leave you too.” Mr. Diaz said. Understanding filled both Buck and Eddie.

“That won’t happen because I’ve been left pretty much my whole life. So, you can relax. I don’t leave, I get left.” Buck said.

“Is that what you’re really worried about? Buck possibly leaving me. Or is it something else?” Eddie asked, hands on his hips.

“That and you’re both in dangerous jobs. What if something happens to one of both of you?” Mrs. Diaz fretted.

“Well right now I’m on light duty. But once I’m allowed back, we’ll come up with a plan. Maybe not going into a potentially dangerous situation together. But we’re firefighters, it comes with the territory.” Buck said.

“Then maybe you should find a different line of work. It’ll be safer.” Mrs. Diaz said. Buck’s eyes flared at the suggestion.

“No, I wouldn’t ask Buck to do that.” Eddie said shaking his head.

“You don’t know my life, Mr. and Mrs. Diaz. I’ve spent pretty much my entire adult life trying to find what I wanted to do in life. Firefighting is who I am, and you don’t get to demand that I change what I do.” Buck practically yelled.

“But you have to think of two children now.” Mrs. Diaz said as she tried to sound reasonable.

“That’s bullshit, there are plenty of first responders who are married to each other and have children, they make it work. Eddie and I will as well. What I think is actually going on her is that your still pissed that he doesn’t need you anymore. That Eddie decided for himself and Christopher that staying in El Paso wasn’t what he wants and that he found someone here instead of there. Well, newsflash, he’s an adult, he can make his own decisions now, and that’s what he’s done.”

“How dare you!” Mrs. Diaz snarled.

“So, it’s true, it’s not that we’re together and having a baby, it’s that I’m not moving back to El Paso. You’re still mad Chris and I moved to Los Angeles. Dios mío, I don’t need your help anymore. I did when Shannon first left and I was working three jobs, but things are different now. You don’t get to dictate how my life goes, not anymore. If you can’t accept that then you need to leave until you can.” Eddie said.

“Fine, can we at least see Christopher before we go?” Mrs. Diaz asked. Buck and Eddie shared a look, Buck shrugged her shoulders and Eddie sighed.

“Fine, five minutes.” Eddie conceded before going to get Christopher. It didn’t take long but in the tense atmosphere it felt like forever. Chris smiled when he spotted his grandparents, but it wasn’t bright like it usually was. 

“Abuelo, Grandma, did you hear that I’m going to be a big brother?!” Chris asked excitedly.

“We did, are you excited?” Mrs. Diaz asked, her demeanor changed as she started talking to her grandson.

“Yeah, Bucky says that we can all choose some names and pick the best one that fits, together.” Chris said proudly.

“Really, that’s exciting. What have you picked?” Mr. Diaz asked. Buck tensed; she didn’t know how they were going to take it that the baby is going to have the same initials as their grandson.

“Well, I really like Coco and Chloe.”

“Nieto, those are very pretty names. I’m sure whatever you guys choose will fit perfectly for your little sister.” Mrs. Diaz said confidently.

Eddie’s parents talked with Christopher as Eddie and Buck sat together on the loveseat. It wasn’t long before Mr. and Mrs. Diaz were walking out the door. Christopher asked to play some video games so Eddie and Buck could relax. Buck was on the flood in between Eddie’s legs so Eddie could massage the tension out of her shoulders.

“Damn, mi amor, your tense.” Eddie murmured as his fingers dug into her shoulders.

“Hmm, your parents are stressful. Man, that was wild, they were completely different with Chris then they were with us.” Buck murmured.

“Yeah, that’s how they are. Drives my sisters and I crazy.”

“I bet; I say we just relax today, just the three of us.” She murmured.

“I like that idea.” Eddie said as he kissed her shoulder. And with that, that’s how they spent the rest of the day.


	7. Chapter 7

Buck felt huge by the time Halloween rolled around. She was now 29 weeks and she was definitely showing now. She was absolutely horny and craving chocolate and tamales. Buck and Eddie went at it almost every night after Chris was out for the night. None of her clothes fit as well, which is why Maddie and her went shopping almost once a week. That day on Halloween Buck was going to be spending it at the firehouse, which she was absolutely ecstatic about. She was lying on her side thinking about getting up, Eddie’s arms were wrapped around her baby bump, their daughter kicking away, almost too hard.

“Come one, sweetie, stop abusing me from the inside.” Buck murmured as she rubbed her belly soothingly.

“She’s very active this morning.” Eddie chuckled. He kissed her should as he soothed the baby to relax.

“She’s hell on my ribs.” She chuckled.

“She’s definitely a Diaz.” He laughed. The sudden need to pee had Buck tapping his arm to release her.

Once she was done Buck got dressed and went to get started on breakfast. Eddie followed her not long after with Chris in tow. Chris had a big smile on his face as he made his way over and gave the baby a kiss.

“Morning, baby sister. How did you sleep. I slept well.” Chris said talking to his sister.

Chris had started to talk to the baby more and more. It had made both Buck and Eddie happy and proud. They smiled at each other as Chris hugged Buck after talking with his sister.

“So, what sounds good for breakfast?” Buck asked.

“Pancakes!” Chris cheered.

“Alright, whatever you say, superman!” Buck said with a laugh. As she started breakfast the baby pressed down into her pelvis. She hissed as she shifted her weight to ease the pressure.

“Ev, what’s wrong?” Eddie asked as he watched from the dining room as he and Chris were going through baby names.

“Just peanut pressing down on my pelvis. It’s uncomfortable.” She said as she looked over her shoulder at them.

“Sounds uncomfortable.” He said making a face.

“Yeah, well it’s fine. What are you two doing?” she asked.

“We’re looking at names, Bucky.” Chris said happily.

“Oh yeah? What have you come up with?”

“Caitlyn, Cheyenne, Crystal and Charlotte are now on the list.” Eddie said with amusement in his voice.

“I kinda like Crystal. Add Courtney and Celeste to the list.”

“What about Casey?” Chris asked.

“Add it to the list, mijo.” Eddie said with a smile.

“How many names do we have on the list now?” Buck asked.

“11 names.” Chris responded.

“Alright, that’s good. We can narrow it down from here.” Buck said as she finished making breakfast. “Alright, put that away, breakfast is done now.”

The boys cleared the table so they could eat. They ate quickly so they could get ready for the day. Carla arrived as they finished getting ready for the day. Buck now couldn’t fit in her uniform, so she settled for a huge LAFD shirt that Bobby gave her a few weeks ago when she complained that nothing fit. Today, she had to be at the 118 for her whole shift. She was thankful that the chief pretty much let her stay at the 118 more often then not. She still had to do her Fire Marshal duties but as she got further along, they didn’t send her to inspect suspicious fires. Instead, she just had paperwork to do so she was allowed to do them at the 118 where she could work out and help prepare meals.

“You’re absolutely glowing, Buckaroo.” Carla said as they were leaving.

“Thanks Carla.” Buck said with a smile.

“Are you still fine with taking him trick ‘or’ treating?” Eddie asked.

“Of course, I am. You two go, I’ll see you tonight, Buck.” Carla said.

Buck and Eddie left taking separate vehicles as Buck got off earlier then Eddie. Carla took Chris to school as they went to work. Buck and Eddie walked into the station together only for her to be bombarded by the other women in the station. Hen was the first one to reach her.

“Buckaroo! Is it me or has this baby of yours gotten bigger?” Hen asked with a bright smile as the two hugged.

“God, I feel huge, Hen!” Buck said with a laugh as the baby gave a hefty kick as Hen placed her hand on the bump.

“Why are you guys crowding her, let’s get her upstairs so she can relax.” Bobby said. He had a wide smile on his face as he took in Buck.

“The place looks ready for Halloween, cap.” Buck said with a fond smile as she looked around at the decorations.

“I’m glad you brought that up, do you think you could man the candy tables tonight?”

“As long as you have a chair or stool for me. My back and leg really start to bother me some evenings.” Buck stated.

“Have you talked to your doctor?” Chim asks butting in and being a worried brother. Eddie and Buck both laughed at the question with Eddie blushing a bit.

“This one brings up all sorts of questions.” Buck says pointing at her boyfriend. “The doctor says it’s normal, that it most likely has to do with the additional weight.”

“The baby can’t weigh that much already, right?” Chim asked wide-eyed.

“Peanut already weighs about 3 pounds and is close to 17 inches long, Chim.” Eddie said as Chim’s mouth dropped open.

Buck pulled out her notebook as Hen and Bobby pulled out their wallets. Hen had already guessed boy and Bobby had guessed girl, but nobody has really guessed the weight or height yet as they wanted to wait until she was further along.

“I’m guessing 9 lbs 2oz and 21 inches at birth.” Bobby said as Buck got wide-eyed.

“Wait, 9lbs, are you serious?” Buck asked in a shock.

“Yes, babies will typically triple or double in size from here until birth.”

“Eddie, if I have to push a 9-pound baby out of me you’re getting up for the night feedings for the first three months.” Buck said glaring at Eddie who gulped.

“Si, mi amor.” He responded which caused everyone to laugh.

“Well, I’m going to say 7 lbs 10 oz and 20 inches.” Hen said.

“That’s a much better guess.” Buck said with a laugh as she wrong down in her notebook.

“Chim, do you have a guess on weight or height yet?” Eddie asked.

Before Chim could respond the alarm rang. The team jumped up and Eddie pressed a quick kiss before leaving. Buck pulled out her paperwork to get it started. She wasn’t totally alone as Jackson was filling in as the man behind for the day. Paperwork was tiring that she was relieved when Jackson walked over.

“Are you getting tired, Buck?” Jackson asked as she sat down across from her.

“I think it’s just the boring paperwork. It’s making me sleepy.” Buck said.

“Then, it’s time for a break.” She suggested.

“I think you’re right. You up for a round or two of Mario Cart?” Buck asked as she stood and stretched her back.

“You’re going down, Buckley.” Jackson teased. They made their way to the living area and set up the game system.

That’s how the team found them. She didn’t even register that they were back until she won a round against Jackson. Buck looked over and smiled as she saw Eddie standing there leaning against the railing.

“Back already?” she asked.

“Yeah, it was a pretty easy call. Just a couple of kids that got attacked by crows.” Eddie said.

“Crows? Did they provoke them or something?” Buck asked.

“Oh yeah, one kid told us they were throwing rocks at them.”

“Oh lord, what idiots.” Jackson said.

“No kidding,” Buck agreed then turned back to Eddie. “Chim and Hen dropping off the kids then?”

“Well, just one kid. The other was fine so we let him go with his class.”

“How hurt was the other kid?” she asked as Jackson went about to do her other duties.

“Not bad, just a lot of cuts on the back of his neck. Not too deep but deep enough ‘cause Hen and Chim didn’t want to take any chances.” Eddie said.

“Eddie, Buck, want to help us get the goodie table set up for the kids?” Bobby asked. The two nodded and Eddie helped her to stand up.

Once they made their way down the stairs, they saw the two tables and a bunch of candy in a huge cauldron. Eddie went and helped Bobby get the tables up as Buck waited with the tablecloths. Buck oversaw the decorations. Once the tables were decorated her, Eddie and Bobby set up the candy and other stuff that they were giving away.

“Just a run down, the teal bucket is allergy free candies. We’re also giving away smoke detectors to the parents. Eddie, I think the pamphlets are in the storage closet, can you go grab them?” Bobby said.

“Got it, cap.” Eddie said before scampering off to find the pamphlets for his pregnant girlfriend.

“How are you feeling?” Bobby asked as Eddie went out of sight.

“I’m doing good, Bobby. I’ve been getting tired a lot lately, but that’s normal, right. Also, so horny, like all the time.” She stifled a small giggle at the blush forming across Bobby’s face.

“Yeah, that’s normal, just don’t overdo it, no going into premature labor.”

“Well, if that were to happen at least I’m in a good place for that to happen.” She said cheekily.

“That’s true, but with you on blood thinners….”

“Yeah, that’s why I’m not having a home birth, knowing my luck something is going to happen.”

“Hey, bite your tongue. Only thing that is going to happen is you’ll finally have that little baby in your arms.”

“Maybe not so little if your prediction is right.” Bobby laughed as Eddie came back with the pamphlets.

“What are you guys laughing at?” Eddie asked as he placed the pamphlets on the table.

“I was just saying that it’s not long before you guys will have your little baby in your arms and Buck countered with that if my prediction is correct then the baby won’t be that little.”

“Yeah, I really hope that peanut is not 9 lbs. Buck might just break my hand while in labor.” Eddie said. They laughed as Chim and Hen showed up.

“It looks good, guys.” Hen said with a smile.

“It was a team effort.” Buck said. “I just did the decorations.”

“Well, be happy that you were able to do something.” Hen said with a slight smile.

Chim wasn’t paying attention, he was looking up at the top of the rig. Buck looked as well but didn’t see anything. Eddie tapped her should with a raised eyebrow and she just shrugged her shoulders.

“Is anyone else seeing this?” Chim asked.

“Seeing what?” Eddie asked as he grabbed a piece of candy. Buck slapped his hand away teasingly as she mock glared at him.

“Those are for the kids, babe.” Chim made a face as they gave each other heated looks.

“Gross, I’m out of here.” Chim said as he walked away from the couple, causing them to laugh. A small cramp came over Buck’s stomach which caused her to gasp and Eddie to panic.

“Ev, cariño, what’s wrong? Do I need to grab Hen and Chim?” Buck laughed as she shook her head.

“Just a Braxton Hicks, babe. I’m…we’re fine.” She said with a smile.

“It’s getting very close….if you have them more intense and frequent you need to tell me, alright querida.” She gave him a weird look at the last word.

“What does that one mean?” she asked. Eddie chuckled and walked around to caress her face.

“Basically it means darling.” He whispered as he kissed her sweetly. Her stomach growled comically which caused them to laugh. “Come on, let’s get you something to eat.”

The two made their way back upstairs to the loft where Bobby was making an early dinner. He smiled at the two of when Buck came around to smell it with a groan. Bobby laughed as she smiled sheepishly.

“Sorry cap, it just smells so good.” Buck said.

“No need to apologize Buck, you’re eating for two. It’ll be done shortly; you want an apple while you wait?” he asked. Buck nodded and grabbed a fuji apple for the bowl of fruit on the counter.

“So, Buckaroo, do you have any weird cravings?” Hen asked from the living area.

“I’m not sure if they’re weird.” She responded just as Eddie scoffed good naturedly.

“Please, she was dipping potato chips in frosting the other day.” Eddie said a painful look on his face.

“What kind of potato chips and frosting?” Chim asked.

“Don’t ask that!” Eddie practically yelled.

“Sour cream and onion chips and chocolate frosting.” Buck said with a shit-eating grin on her face as everyone looked disgusted.

“You had to ask.” Eddie said just as the bell rang again also as Bobby finished cooking.

“Buck, feel free to have some but keep an eye on it so it doesn’t get too cold.” Bobby said as they ran off to the rigs parked outside the firehouse as the area that they are usually parked in is covered in decorations for the kids to come in and have some fun.

Buck was now dealing with a couple of obnoxious kids as night began to fall over the city. She sat in her chair and stood for each new group that came through, one kid though just rubbed her the wrong way. He was a brat dressed like a prisoner and he tried to grab more candy.

“Sorry kid, only one.” She said.

“And what are you supposed to be?” he asked.

“Um, I’m a firefighter.”

“Then why are you fat and not fighting fires.” With that the mother came over.

“I’m actually pregnant which is why I’m staying behind.”

“Oh my god, was he trying to get more candy out of you?” the mom asked as the crew came back.

“Look mom, the real firefighters are here.” The brat said as he grabbed more anyway.

“Here, to keep him safe until his parole hearing.” Buck said handing the mom the smoke detector.

Bobby smiled at her as Eddie came over with a concerned look. Once the kid and his mom left, she let the tears she held at bay fall freely. Eddie panicked and held her rubbing soothing circles on her back.

“What’s wrong, cariño?” he asked, his voice helping to soothe her.

“Just that brat.” She said taking a deep breath. “I think it’s mostly my hormones, but he called me fat and not a real firefighter.” Eddie’s hands caressed her face so they could lock eyes.

“Hey, you have every right to be upset, he was a brat and I’m sure his mom will rim into him when they get home. I’ll man the table you go and clear your head.” Buck smiled, love filling her for this man, her partner in every sense of the word, and kissed him.

“Have I told you I love you recently?” she asked.

“I can hear it more. Yo también te amo.” He kissed her and she left the table to go and take a breather.

“Buck, are you okay?” Hen asked as she saw her red eyes.

“Yeah, I will, just a brat who got to me.”

“So, Eddie took over so you could have a breather.”

“He’s a saint.” Buck said with a smile as she looked down to see Eddie smiling at a new batch of kids that came in.

“Well, thank god you’re on light duty Buckaroo, cause I don’t know if we could stand the two of you being this lovey dovey all the time.” Chim teased which earned him a pillow thrown at his face courtesy of both women.

“I’m sure we won’t be bad when I come back.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it.” Hen teased. They laughed before Buck decided to head back down to hang and be with Eddie.

“Hey cariño, feeling better?” he asked as he handed her a water bottle.

“Yeah, just needed to step away for a second, take a breather.” Eddie gave her small smile as another batch of kids came in.

It was close to 10 o’clock when they wrapped up the candy table. Buck was exhausted, she stifled a yawn as she stretched her sore back. She was just about off anyway, which she was grateful for. She felt arms wrap around her waist as she stopped by her locker to grab her bag and paperwork that she finished earlier in the day.

“Are you heading home now?” Eddie murmured into her ear.

“Yep, I’m so tired, I think all those kids sucked out my energy plus peanut of course.” Buck said with a yawn.

“Okay, mi amor, go ahead and head out. I’ll be home in a few hours.” He said giving her a kiss.

Buck left the station in a drowsy daze. She decided as she climbed into the jeep that she was going to pick up some snacks from the gas station. When she got there she had to shake her head as she saw what she thought was a Halloween decoration. There was a man imbedded in the windshield, he was alive. With wide eyes Buck jumped back into the jeep and followed the woman while she dialed 9-1-1.

“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?” the dispatcher asked. Thankfully, it wasn’t Josh or Maddie.

“This is firefighter Evan Buckley; I’m going southbound on Ventura following a gold four-door sedan. There’s a man imbedded in the windshield.”

“Wait, that’s real? We got reports of this yesterday.” The dispatcher’s voice sounded confused.

“Yeah, and I think he’s alive. I’m going to try and get her to pull over.” Buck sped up and rolled the window down to shout at the woman. “Hey pull over! Ma’am pull over your car!” the woman didn’t pull over so she sped up so the woman would be forced to stop. Buck put it in park and jumped out and went over and grabbed her pen light.

“You’re a horrible driver, lady!” she yelled. The woman had definitely hit her head and most definitely had a concussion.

“Relax, ma’am, I’m a firefighter, you’ve hit your head pretty hard.”

“Well, your costume is terrible.” The woman said.

“Wait here.” Buck said as she made her way into the car. It was very awkward with her center of gravity being with her almost seven-month belly. She placed and braced her arm on the shattered windshield as she checked on the man who was semi-conscious and groaning.

It didn’t take long before an RA unit was there. Once the driver and the man were loaded up a paramedic, she didn’t know came up to her. He looked her up and down and narrowed his gaze on her arm.

“Do you want us to look at you, too?” he asked. He lifted up her arm to see her jacket soaked with blood.

“Nah, it’s not mine.” But she started to feel a little light-headed. He rolled up her sleeve to see several little cuts on her arm. “Um, you should know, I’m on blood thinners.” They loaded her into the rig and the ride to the hospital was tense as they monitored her blood pressure.

“Eddie is going to freak out.” She said causing the medics to laugh.

“Husband?”

“Boyfriend, he’s also a firefighter. He’s been very protective of me for obvious reasons. I haven’t had the best luck this year.”

“It can’t be that bad considering you’re about to have a baby.” He said.

“Well, this and getting together with Eddie is the bright light of this year. I’ve been hurt a lot this year. Starting with my leg getting crushed.

“Shit, you’re that firefighter? It’s good seeing you walking after that.”

“Thanks, but I’m pretty sure I’ve left my phone in my car, the hospital is going to call Eddie and he’s going to freak the fuck out. I just know it.”

“Do you have his number memorized?” his partner asked.

“No, at least I have him as my emergency contact…”

They arrived at the hospital and they did wind up calling Eddie. She was getting her arm bandaged but they wanted to monitor her for the baby’s sake. She was sitting in the bed hooked up to the fetal monitor so they could be sure when Eddie busted in all frantic with Bobby right behind him.

“Evan, what the hell happened? What did you do to your arm?” Eddie asked his eyes frantic as he took in the bandage.

“I’m fine Eds, they just needed to monitor us, that’s all.”

“They brought you to the hospital, Buck.” Bobby said quietly.

“It was crazy, I stopped at the gas station on the way home to get something…I don’t remember what now, but I noticed this guy imbedded in this lady’s windshield. At first, I thought it was just a decoration, but it moved and that’s when I realized that he was real and alive. I had to stop her, Eds.”

“I know, mi amor.” Eddie said sweetly.

“So, are the two going to be okay?” Bobby asked.

“The lady should, she had a brain bleed so she’s in surgery, the guy us still in surgery so I don’t know. I just had the police in so I could give a statement. I’m just waiting for the okay to be discharged cause I’m starving.” Bobby laughed and stood as an ultrasound tech came in.

“I’ll go see, be back soon.” Bobby said leaving the two of them.

“Alright Miss Buckley, I know that you weren’t in the accident, but it seems your doctor ordered an ultrasound. He noticed something on the stress test that was done.”

“I thought that was just precautionary.” Buck said wide eyed gripping Eddie’s hand.

“Yes, but your blood pressure is slightly elevated, which could be a sign of preeclampsia.”

“So, what’s the ultrasound for? You can’t test for that with an ultrasound.” Eddie was quiet but the grip on her hand was stronger.

“Is the baby okay?” he asked fearing the worst.

“Yes, but we noticed a double heartbeat, so we need to be sure.”

“A double…you mean twins? But twins would have been seen right away.” Buck suddenly felt dizzy…twins was not something she expected to hear.

“You’re right, but sometimes on twin will hide perfectly behind the other. So, let’s see.”

Eddie and Buck shared a shocked look as she settled back and pulled up her shirt. The tech squirted on the gel, which was warm this time, and she pressed the wand on her belly. There on the screen was her baby, but the picture was slightly different, she had something behind her. The tech moved the wand over to the side and there were two babies.

“Holy shit!” Buck muttered wide-eyed.

“Mierda, la abuela me va a matar.” Eddie muttered wide-eyed and rubbed a hand over his face.

“Well, baby b looks just as healthy, and they aren’t identical. The have separate amniotic sacs.”

“Can you tell the gender?” Buck asked as she stared at the screen.

“Yeah, this little one is not shy, definitely a little boy.” The technician said as she focused on that part of the anatomy. She took several more shots of both babies before she printed them out. She handed the pictures over and left but not before promising that the doctor would be in shortly.

“You definitely don’t do things half-way, Eds.” Buck teased lightly to wake Eddie from his dazed expression.

“Mierda, twins? We’re definitely gonna need a bigger place. How in the world did he hide behind his sister?” he asked wide-eyed.

“Yeah, we will, and now we’ll definitely need to look at boy names, damn, I thought picking girl names were bad.” Suddenly Eddie grinned as a thought suddenly struck him.

“Let’s keep him a secret, until they’re born. And whoever guesses the weight and height closest gets to hold them first.” Buck smiled brightly and kissed him.

“I love it.” The doctor and Bobby walked in as they broke apart.

“Alright, so we’re going to be sending you home with a 24-hour urine collection to test for preeclampsia. This time tomorrow bring it back and we’ll get it tested.” He handed Buck everything needed and then handed Eddie her discharge papers.

“You guys ready to go?” Bobby asked.

“Yes, I’m starving.” Buck said as she looked at Eddie.

“Yeah, I can eat.” Eddie said with a small smile.

“Everything with you guys okay?” Bobby asked, “With the baby?”

“Yeah, they are testing for preeclampsia. I know it’s serious, but I don’t want to worry about it until there’s something to worry about.”

“Very mature, but you’ve got to take it easy.” Bobby said.

“I’m going to hate it, I know.” She said with a sigh.

“I’m sure Chris will keep you company. He’s going to be a great big brother.” Eddie said.

Once Eddie and Buck got back to the house, after they retrieved Buck’s jeep, they sat Chris down to tell him the news. Chris looked between the two and noticed the tension.

“Is peanut, okay?” Chris asked seriously.

“Yes, mijo, everything is fine with your sister. But we had another ultrasound done, and they found something.” Eddie said.

“What did they find?” he asked.

“Well, it turns out there are two babies in here.” Buck said rubbing her belly.

“Twins? Really? Two baby sisters?”

“Actually, one is a boy, superman.”

“Really? A brother and sister?”

“Yeah, mijo. Now we’ll have to get more stuff and pick out boy names.” Eddie said with a smile.

“Let’s get started then.” Chris said excitedly as he grabbed the baby name book.


End file.
